AwAiTiNg

THE

]

AUVENT

Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly, October, November, December, 191

Thirteenth Sabbath Overflow Offering

December 30, 1972



Euro-Africa Division

With the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering overflow for the fourth

quarter of 1972, our newest division, Euro-Africa, has plans for two

projects. The first is to establish the work of the church in the south

of Angola, founding a new mission station in the region of the great

Cuenene River. This is a section of the country where we have no

work at the present time; so we are praying for your liberality.

The second project is to build a new hospital on the island of

Madagascar. Experience has taught us that our medical work can

give to the world both spiritual and physical healing. Because of

this unique characteristic it has been the hope of the Indian Ocean

Union Mission for many years to open medical work on the island

of Madagascar.

The president of the Malagasy Republic has endorsed this project

by his personal donation of 50,000 Malagasy francs. This shows

that the Malagasy people do not expect to receive everything from

outside and are anxious to do their part. Land has been purchased

on a beautiful mountain site overlooking the city of Andapa in the

northern part of Madagascar. The hospital, although simple in struc-

ture, will be an honor to the cause of God. Already several Adventist

doctors and nurses are ready to serve. All is in readiness awaiting

the offering overflow that will make this dream come true.

Lessons for the First Quarter of 1973

Sabbath School members who have not received an adult

Lesson Quarterly

for the first quarter of 1973 will be helped

by the following outline in studying the first two lessons.

The title of the series is "The Christian and Communication."

The title of the first lesson is "Channels of Communication."

The memory verse is Rom. 10:8-10.

The outline is as follows: (1) Our Lives—A Letter. 2 Cor.

3:2, 3. (2) Our Acts—God-Centered. 1 Cor. 10:31-33. (3) Our

Words—Persuading Power. Acts 13:42, 43. (4) Our Prayers

—In Tune With God. Rom. 8:26, 27. (5) Our Means—A

Source of Strength. 1 Tim. 6:17-19. (6) Total Witness. Phil.

4:9.

The title of the second lesson is "Avenues to the Soul."

The memory verse is Isa. 55:2, 3. The outline is as follows:

(1) The Ears. Ps. 78:1-3, 5. (2) The Eyes. Matt. 6:22, 23. (3)

The Body. Rom. 12:1, 2. (4) The Emotions. Deut. 5:26-29.

(5) The Reason. Deut. 4:39, 40. (6) The Whole Man. 1 Thess.

5:23, 24.

Litho in U.S.A.

AwaiUng the Advent

FOURTH QUARTER, 1972

It was the teaching that Jesus would soon come that bound together the

first Adventists under William Miller. The power of that doctrine motivated

the spiritual forebears of the Seventh-day Adventist Church to proclaim their

belief in the face of intense opposition and ridicule. It also motivated them

to a new way of life. Ellen White wrote that in her last meeting with her

childhood church she bore testimony that a new religious experience had come

to her "by the stirring truths concerning the personal appearing of Jesus."—

Life

Sketches,

page 46. The truth of the second advent motivated believers

in those early days to preach and to live the truth. Does it still have this same

power after 128 years?

The Seventh-day Adventist Church, as a body, believes in the soon coming

of Jesus. It is assumed that the individual members hold that belief, for to be

an Adventist and not believe in the advent is such an apparent contradiction

that those who reject it would surely find fellowship elsewhere. The second

advent, as a doctrine, is secure in the church. But does it produce the same

motivation that was seen in the pioneer days? If it does not, this is the fault

of those who hold it and not of the teaching itself. Each individual church

member needs to recapture the sense of urgency to prepare for the advent and

to do the Lord's work that the pioneers had.

The advent message was derived from the Scriptures. A recapture of the

fervor of the pioneers will come from the same source. The beliefs accepted

in past years tend to lose their brilliance in a believer's mind unless renewed

by fresh contact with the Word.

What signs does the Bible give that Jesus is coming soon? What do those

signs mean? Are they still relevant after 128 years of advent wear? What

attitudes should those who await the advent have toward life, their fellow-

men, their Redeemer, and the advent itself? These are questions that we

propose you investigate during the fourth quarter of 1972. This adult quar-

terly can provide direction for you in that study, but we hope that you will go

beyond it. We hope that you will relearn the old truths, discover some new

ones, make them your own, and recapture the fervor of 1844. If that should

happen on a large scale, we might see Jesus quicker than we think. "Even so,

come, Lord Jesus!"

1-A4QT.72

The Blessing of Daily Study

"Every day some portion of time should be appropri-

ated to the study of the lessons, not merely in learning to

mechanically repeat the words, while the mind does not

comprehend the meaning; but to go to the very founda-

tion, and become familiar with what is brought out in

the lesson."—Counsels

on Sabbath School Work,

page 53.

My Pledge

As one who greatly desires to improve his knowledge

of the Scriptures, I pledge myself to the careful and

prayerful study of some portion of my Sabbath School

lesson each day of the week.

(signed)

The regular Sabbath School senior division lessons and reg-

ular Sabbath School World Mission Report are available free

each month in Braille and 16

rpm records to blind and phys-

ically handicapped persons who cannot read normal inkprint.

This includes individuals who because of arthritis, multiple

sclerosis, paralysis, accidents, old age, and so forth, cannot hold

or focus on normal inkprint publications. Contact the Christian

Record Braille Foundation, Box 6097, Lincoln, Nebraska 68506.

Lesson Titles for the Quarter

The Christian's Hope

God's Warnings

Signs of Christ's Coming:

False Religion

Signs of Christ's Coming:

Tribulation and the Gospel

Signs of Christ's Coming:

In the Heavens

Signs of Christ's Coming:

In the Earth

The Nature of the Signs

Ready or Not Ready?

Watching or Not Watching?

10.

Faithful or Unfaithful?

11.

Delay of the Advent

12.

The Church Awaiting the Advent

13.

Beyond the Advent

Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly (regular edition), No. 310, October-December, 1972. 35 cents a

single copy, $1.40 a year (four issues) ; no additional charge to countries requiring extra postage.

Published in the U.S.A. by Pacific Press Publishing Association (a corporation of S.D.A.), 1350

Villa Street, Mountain View, California 94040. Second-class mail privileges authorized at Mountain

View, California. Form 3579 requested. When a change of address is desired, please be sure to send

both old and new addresses.

Cover by Howard Larkin

Drawings by James Converse

THE CHRISTIAN'S HOPE

LESSON 1

"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God

and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus 2:13.

The moment to which the signs of the

times point is often spoken of as the end

of the world. But for the Christian the

primary event that the signs herald is the

coming of the Lord Himself in the clouds

of heaven. Certainly, civilization as we

know it will close with Jesus' coming, but

our hope is not in the end of the world. Our

hope is in Jesus Christ Himself, who is the

Saviour of all who put their trust in Him.

It is because the second advent is the

moment of the return of our Saviour that

we call it the blessed hope. It is because our

Lord Jesus Christ will come for His people

at the second advent that we can love the

moment of His fiery intervention in the

affairs of this world.

Jesus referred to the second advent as

the time when He would take His followers

to be with Him in His heavenly home. If

we love Christ, we will love His appearing

also. For the believer it will not be dooms-

day, but the fulfillment of the hope to see

Jesus Christ face to face and live in His

kingdom forever.

"The coming of the Lord has been in all

ages the hope of His true followers. The

Saviour's parting promise upon Olivet, that

He would come again, lighted up the future

for His disciples, filling their hearts with

joy and hope that sorrow could not quench

nor trials dim. Amid suffering and persecu-

tion, the 'appearing of the great God and

our Saviour Jesus Christ' was the 'blessed

hope.'

"—The Great Controversy,

page 302.

It is the purpose of this lesson to study,

not only an event, but Jesus Christ Him-

self at His advent. At His coming He will

stand in a number of different relation-

ships to His people. It is these offices of

Christ that form the outline for our study

this week.

LESSON OUTLINE

The Redeemer

Matt. 24:1,2

The Restorer

Acts 3:20, 21

The Life-giver

1 Thess. 4:16, 17

The King

Rev. 19:11, 16

The Rewarder

Rev. 22:12

The Son of Man

Matt. 24:30

The Christian's Hope

LESSON I



❑

Sunday

October 1

Part 1



►

What remarks of Jesus prompted the disciples' in-

THE REDEEMER quiry about signs?

Matt. 24:1, 2

"And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple:

and his disciples came to him for to shew him the build-

ings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not

all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be

left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown

down."

"With the overthrow of Jerusalem the disciples associated

the events of Christ's personal coming in temporal glory to take

the throne of universal empire, to punish the impenitent Jews,

and to break from off the nation the Roman yoke. The Lord

had told them that He would come the second time. Hence at

the mention of judgments upon Jerusalem, their minds reverted

to that coming; and as they were gathered about the Saviour

upon the Mount of Olives, they asked: 'When shall these things

be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end

of the world?'

"—The Great Controversy,

page 25.

►

When Jesus completed His enumeration of the signs,

what did He say was their significance? Luke 21:28.

Where the disciples had been concerned about the end of

the world and the destruction of the temple, Jesus pointed out

to them that the signs He spoke of indicated the approach of

the moment of their redemption. Not that the temple would

be kept intact or that the world would not end, but the para-

mount meaning of the signs related to redemption.

THINK IT THROUGH



How is the second advent related to redemption?

"When the signs predicted begin to

come to pass, the waiting, watching

ones are bidden to look up and lift up

their heads and rejoice because their

redemption draweth nigh.

"When these things are dwelt upon

as they should be, scoffers will be de-

veloped to walk after their own lusts,

saying, 'Where is the promise of His

coming? for since the fathers fell

asleep, all things continue as they were

from the beginning of the creation.' But

'when they shall say, Peace and safety;

then sudden destruction cometh upon

them.' But ye, brethren, are not in

darkness, that that day should over-

take you as a thief.' Thank God, all will

not be rocked to sleep in the cradle of

carnal security. There will be faithful

ones who will discern the signs of the

times. While a large number professing

present truth will deny their faith by

their works, there will be some who

will endure unto the end."—"Testimo-

nies," Vol. 5, p. 10.

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"The Desire of Ages," pages 660, 661.

The Christian's Hope

LESSON 1



❑

Monday

October 2

Part 2

►

What phrase did Peter use to describe the time when

THE RESTORER Jesus will return?

Acts 3:20, 21

"And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was

preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until

the times of restitution of all things, which God hath

spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the

world began."

At the fall of man humanity lost its God-given dominion

over the world. Gen. 1:26. Satan not only claimed man's do-

minion, but also usurped the place of the Creator and is referred

to by Paul as "the god of this world." 2 Cor. 4:4.

The dominion that Satan usurped is to be restored. This res-

titution has its beginning at the second advent, but is not com-

plete until the earth is renewed after the thousand years.

"The golden age—the restitution of all things:-1.

Restitu-

tion means the setting up again of that which has been thrown

down.. . . 2. In the universe there has been a great overturning.

The course of history seems to be a succession of failures—God

setting up, some other power casting down. And, apart from

revelation we could not tell what the end of all things would

be."—The Biblical Illustrator,

on Acts 3:21.

►

What is the initial step in this restitution? Rom. 8:23.

"Christ assured the angels that by His death He would

ransom many, and would destroy him who had the power of

death. He would recover the kingdom which man had lost by

transgression, and the redeemed were to inheriC,it with Him,

and dwell therein forever. Sin and sinners would be blotted

out, nevermore to disturb the peace of heaven' or earth. He

bade the angelic host to be in accord with the plan that His

Father had accepted, and rejoice that, through His death,

fallen man could be reconciled to

God."—Patriarchs and

Prophets,

page 65.

THINK IT THROUGH



For the individual Christian what restitution must pre-

cede the restitution of the body, nature, and dominion?

"God created the earth to be the

abode of holy, happy beings. The

Lord 'formed the earth and made it; He

hath established it, He created it not

in vain, He formed it to be inhabited.'

Isaiah

45:18.

That purpose will be ful-

filled, when, renewed by the power of

God, and freed from sin and sorrow, it

shall become the eternal abode of the

redeemed. 'The righteous shall inherit

the land, and dwell therein forever.'

'And there shall be no more curse: but

the throne of God and of the Lamb shall

be in it; and His servants shall serve

Him.' Psalm 37:29; Revelation

22:3."—

"Patriarchs and Prophets," page 67.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"The Great Controversy," pages 674-678.

Part 3

THE LIFE-GIVER

1 Thess. 4:16, 17

❑

Tuesday

October

What event takes place at the advent of Jesus Christ?

The Christian's Hope

LESSON 1

THINK IT THROUGH

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with

a shout with the voice of the archangel, and with the

trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then

we which are alive and remain shall be caught up to-

gether with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the

air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

"We have a living, risen Saviour. He burst the fetters of the

tomb after He had lain there three days, and in triumph He

proclaimed over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, 'I am the resur-

rection and the life.' And He is coming. Are we getting ready

for Him? Are we ready so that if we shall fall asleep, we can

do so with hope in Jesus Christ? Are you laboring for the sal-

vation of your brothers and sisters? The Life-giver is soon to

come. The Life-giver is coming to break the fetters of the

tomb. He is to bring forth the captives and proclaim, 'I am

the resurrection and the life.' There stands the risen host. The

last thought was of death and its pangs. The last thoughts

they had were of the grave and the tomb, but now they pro-

claim, '0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy

victory ?' The pangs of death were the last things they felt.

'0 death, where is thy sting?' The last thing they acknowledged

was the pangs of death. When they awake the pain is all gone."

—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 6,

p. 1093.

1:0- What unique power does Jesus possess? John 5:25-29.

The fact that Jesus has life in Himself is really the basis of

all redemption. He has the capacity to give this life to His

people. John 17:2. If He were not self-living and able to give

life to the dead, redemption through Him would have been

an impossibility and we would be "of all men most miserable."

1 Cor. 15:19.

Besides giving life to the dead what is the importance

of Jesus' self-living existence?

"The voice that cried from the cross,

'It is finished,' was heard among the

dead. It pierced the walls of sepulchers,

and summoned the sleepers to arise.

Thus will it be when the voice of Christ

shall be heard from heaven. That voice

will penetrate the graves and unbar the

tombs, and the dead in Christ shall

arise. At the Saviour's resurrection a

few graves were opened, but at His

second coming all the precious dead

shall hear His voice, and shall come

forth to glorious, immortal life. The

same power that raised Christ from the

dead will raise His church, and glorify

it with Him, above all principalities,

above all powers, above every name

that is named, not only in this world,

but also in the world to come."—"The

Desire of Ages," page 787.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 644-646.

The Christian's Hope

LESSON 1



❑

Wednesday

October 4

Part 4



In the symbolic presentation of Christ's coming in

THE KING Revelation 19 what titles are ascribed to Him?

Rev. 19:11, 16

THINK IT THROUGH

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;

and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." "And

he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,

KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

"When Christ shall come to the earth again, not as a prisoner

surrounded by a rabble will men see Him. They will see Him

then as heaven's King. Christ will come in His own glory, in

the glory of His Father, and the glory of the holy angels. Ten

thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands of

angels, the beautiful and triumphant sons of God, possessing

surpassing loveliness and glory, will escort Him on His way.

Then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before

Him shall be gathered all nations. Then every eye shall see

Him, and they also that pierced Him. In the place of a crown

of thorns, He will wear a crown of glory,—a crown within a

crown. In place of that old purple kingly robe, He will be

clothed in raiment of whitest white, 'so as no fuller on earth

can white them.' Mark 9:3. And on His vesture and on His

thigh a name will be written, `King of kings, and Lord of

lords.'

"—The Desire of Ages,

page 739.

What domain does Jesus take over at His advent?

Rev. 11:15.

The expression "King of kings" implies that Jesus is King

over other kings. He rules those who rule. "The title `Lord of

lords, and King of kings' is used in Scripture of Christ as He

returns to earth to vanquish the hosts of evil and to deliver

His loyal people."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

on Rev. 17:14.

In what sense can Christ properly be called a king?

In what sense can He never be called a king?

"With anthems of celestial melody

the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered

throng, attend Him on His way. The

firmament seems filled with radiant

forms—'ten thousand times ten thou-

sand, and thousands of thousands.' No

human pen can portray the scene; no

mortal mind is adequate to conceive its

splendor. 'His glory covered the heav-

ens, and the earth was full of His

praise. And His brightness was as the

light.' Habakkuk 3:3, 4. As the living

cloud comes still nearer, every eye be-

holds the Prince of life. No crown of

thorns now mars that sacred head; but

a diadem of glory rests on His holy

brow. His countenance outshines the

dazzling brightness of the noonday sun.

'And He hath on His vesture and on His

thigh a name written, King of kings,

and Lord of lords.' "—"The Great Con-

troversy," page 641.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 641-643.

The Christian's Hope

LESSON 1



❑

Thursday

October 5

Part 5 60- At the coming of Jesus what does He do for every

THE REWARDER person?

Rev. 22:12

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with

me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

"And as the redeemed shall ascend to heaven, the gates of

the city of God will swing back, and those who have kept the

truth will enter in. A voice, richer than any music that ever

fell on mortal ear, will be heard saying, 'Come, ye blessed

of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the

foundation of the world.' Then the righteous will receive their

reward. Their lives will run parallel with the life of Jehovah.

They will cast their crowns at the Redeemer's feet, touch the

golden harps, and fill all heaven with rich

music."—Counsels

on Stewardship,

page 350.

►

What is the reward of the righteous? Rev. 22:14. Of

the wicked? Rev. 22:15.

The expression "according as his work shall be" in the

context of Revelation 22 refers to just two kinds of works, good

or evil, and not to a gradation of rewards.

The reward is "according to" and not "because of" the works

that a person has done. At the time of Jesus' coming there

will be no sinful acts on record for the righteous, for their sins

have been forgiven and blotted out. Only the record of righ-

teous works remains. The record of the evil deeds of the lost

remains. Thus humanity is divided into two clean-cut groups,

each identified by their works, and reward comes in inclusion

or exclusion from the city. Thus, "All will 'be justified by their

faith and judged by their

works."—Testimonies,

Vol. 4, p. 386.

THINK IT THROUGH



How does sanctification relate to the reward of the

redeemed?

"None who have had the light of

truth will enter the city of God as com-

mandment breakers. His law lies at the

foundation of His government in earth

and in heaven. If they have knowingly

trampled upon and despised His law

on the earth, they will not be taken to

heaven to do the same work there;

there is no change of character when

Christ comes. The character building is

to go on during the hours of probation.

Day by day their actions are registered

in the books of heaven, and they will,

in the great day of God, be rewarded

as their works have been. It will then

be seen who receives the blessing.

'Blessed are they that do his command-

ments, that they may have right to the

tree of life, and may enter in through

the gates into the city.'"—Ellen G.

White Comments, "SDA Bible Commen-

tary," Vol. 7, p. 990.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 665-668, 673.

The Christian's Hope

LESSON 1



❑

Friday

October 6

Part 6

►

By what term does Jesus refer to Himself in relation

THE SON OF MAN to His return to earth?

Matt. 24:30

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in

heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,

and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds

of heaven with power and great glory."

Throughout the Gospels Jesus refers to Himself as the Son

of man, including the references to His advent. The One whose

coming we anticipate is not a being foreign to our world and

unfamiliar to us; but He is one of us, returning to gather His

brothers and sisters together.

"Those who share Christ's suffering and reproach now will

share His glory hereafter. He 'is not ashamed to call them

brethren.' His angels minister to them. His second appearing

will be as the Son of man, thus even in His glory identifying

Himself with

humanity."—Testimonies,

Vol. 5, p. 230.

►

Speaking before Caiaphas, what position did Jesus

say that He, the Son of man, would one day occupy?

Matt. 26:64.

"As a man Christ ascended to heaven. As a man He is the

substitute and surety for humanity. As a man He liveth to

make intercession for us. He is preparing a place for all who

love Him. As a man He will come again with power and glory,

to receive His children."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA

Bible Commentary,

Vol. 5, p. 1126.

THINK IT THROUGH



What significance does the name "Son of man" hold

in relation to the second advent?

"In taking

our nature, the Saviour



hand upon both. He who is 'holy, harm-

has bound Himself to humanity by a tie



less, undefiled, separate from sinners,'

that is never to be broken. Through the



is not ashamed to call us brethren. Heb.

eternal ages He is linked with us. . . .



7:26; 2:11. In

Christ the family of

It is the 'Son of man' who shares the earth and the family of heaven are

throne of the universe. It is the 'Son of



bound together. Christ glorified is our

man' whose name shall be called, 'Won-

brother. Heaven is enshrined in human-

derful, Counselor, The mighty God, The



ity, and humanity is enfolded in the

everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.'



bosom of Infinite Love."—"The Desire

Isa. 9:6. The I AM is the Daysman be-

of Ages," pages 25, 26.

tween God and humanity, laying His

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Desire of Ages," pages 210, 211.

LESSON 2

October 8-14

GOD'S WARNINGS

"And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass,

ye might believe." John 14:29.

This verse was spoken by Jesus in refer-

ence to His ascension and the descent of

the Spirit. Whenever the future is revealed

to men, it has the same purpose—to lead

them to believe. In the instance cited here

the event was to provide evidence on which

to base belief. But there will not always be

an opportunity following the event to exer-

cise belief. The fulfillment of warnings

given in the past must provide the evidence

for belief in God's warnings of the coming

of Jesus; for when He returns, the moment

for change of heart has already passed. This

week's lesson on "God's Warnings" is not

meant to be just another look at familiar

stories. It is meant to stir our souls to a

new and fervent belief in God's final inter-

vention in the world.

"The history of nations speaks to us

today. To every nation and to every in-

dividual God has assigned a place in His

great plan. Today men and nations are

being tested by the plummet in the hand

of Him who makes no mistake. All are by

their own choice deciding their destiny,

and God is overruling all for the accom-

plishment of His purposes."—Prophets

and

Kings,.page 536.

LESSON OUTLINE

God Communicates With Man

Amos 3:6, 7

A City Responds to God's

Communication

Jonah 3:4, 5, 10

A Nation Fails to Respond to

God's Communication

Dan. 5:22, 23

The Greatness of the Lord

Isa. 40:15, 17

God and the Future

Dan. 2:27, 28, 44

Warnings for Today

2 Peter 3:10

God's Warnings

LESSON 2

Part 1

GOD

COMMUNICATES

WITH MAN

Amos 3:6, 7

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Sunday

October

).- By what means did God communicate His warnings

of judgment on Israel?

"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people

not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord

hath not done it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but

he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets."

"'The secret things,' says Moses, 'belong unto the Lord our

God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and

to our children forever;' and the Lord declares by the prophet

Amos, that He 'will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret

unto His servants the prophets.' Deuteronomy 29:29; Amos

3:7. The students of God's word may, then, confidently expect

to find the most stupendous event to take place in human his-

tory clearly pointed out in the Scriptures of truth."—The

Great Controversy,

page 324.

"All the evils threatened upon Israel will come, but not

without the Lord's first warning the people through the proph-

ets. . . . The mercy of God is shown by the fact that He does

not bring His judgments upon men until He first warns them

through His prophets. He predicts the evil to come in the hope

that He may not be forced to inflict it. . . .

"In spite of the fact that Israel had 'commanded the

prophets, saying, Prophesy not' . . . , God proclaims that He

will continue to reveal His will to His chosen messengers."

—SDA Bible Commentary,

on Amos 3:7.

Ita. How did God seek to keep the people of Judah back

from the dangerous path they were treading? 2 Chron.

36:15.

"In the closing years of Judah's apostasy the exhortations

of the prophets were seemingly of but little avail; and as the

armies of the Chaldeans came for the third and last time to

besiege Jerusalem, hope fled from every heart. Jeremiah pre-

dicted utter ruin; and it was because of his insistence on sur-

render that he had finally been thrown into

prison."—Prophets

and Kings,

page 466.

What specific guidance can we find for today in the

experiences of Israel's and Judah's rejection of prophetic

warnings?

"In the purposes of God, His plans

are revealed to His people so that they

might know how to co-operate with

them. Long ago Christians would have

given up in despair had it not been for

the assurance, 'I will come again.' . . .

There were times when the most cou-

rageous hearts would have failed had

it not been for the repeated assurances

of the Lord's purpose to bring deliver-

ance."—T. H. Jemison, "A Prophet

Among You," page 43.

FOR FURTHER

STUDY: "Prophets and Kings," pages 296-300.

Part 2

A CITY RESPONDS

TO GOD'S

COMMUNICATION

Jonah 3:4, 5, 10

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Monday

October

to- What was the result of the Ninevites' acceptance of

God's warning?

"Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey,

and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall

be overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God,

and proclaimed a fast." "And God saw their works, that

they turned from their evil way; and God repented of

the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them;

and he did it not."

"As king and nobles, with the common people, the high and

the low, 'repented at the preaching of Jonas' (Matthew 12:41)

and united in crying to the God of heaven, His mercy was

granted them. He 'saw their works, that they turned from their

evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that

he would do unto them; and he did it not.' Jonah 3:10. Their

doom was averted, the God of Israel was exalted and honored

throughout the heathen world, and His law was revered. Not

until many years later was Nineveh to fall a prey to the sur-

rounding nations through forgetfulness of God and through

boastful

pride."—Prophets and Kings,

pages 270, 271.

P.-

What is the principle of conditional prophecy of which

Nineveh's experience is an example? Jer. 18:7-10.

"God changes his mind as man changes his conduct. When

man repents of his wickedness and does that which is right in

God's sight, the ground of the divine judgment ceases to exist.

Always possible is the escape to the Everlasting Mercy. 'In the

same place in which you find God's omnipotence you will find

his humility.' [Rabbi Johanan.]"—The

Interpreter's Bible,

Jonah

3:10.

What truth does the story of Nineveh's repentance

teach about the coming of Jesus?

God's Warnings

LESSON 2

"As the preaching of Jonah was a

sign to the Ninevites, so Christ's preach-

ing was a sign to His generation. But

what a contrast in the reception of the

word! Yet in the face of indifference

and scorn the Saviour labored on and

on, until He had accomplished His mis-

sion.

"The lesson is for God's messengers

today, when the cities of the nations

are as verily in need of a knowledge

of the attributes and purposes of the

true God as were the Ninevites of old."

—"Prophets and Kings," page 274.

"The storm of God's wrath is gather-

ing; and those only will stand who

respond to the invitations of mercy, as

did the inhabitants of Nineveh under

the preaching of Jonah, and become

sanctified through obedience to the

laws of the divine Ruler. The righteous

alone shall be hid with Christ in God

till the desolation be overpast."—

"Ibid.," p. 278.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Prophets and Kings," pages 273-278.

God's Warnings

LESSON 2



❑

Tuesday

October 10

Part 3

►

What was Belshazzar's fatal mistake?

A NATION FAILS

TO RESPOND

Dan. 5:22, 23

THINK IT THROUGH

"And thou his son, 0 Belshazzar, hast not humbled

thine heart, though thou knewest all this; but hast lifted

up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have

brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou,

and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk

wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver,

and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see

not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy

breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not

glorified."

"Through the folly and weakness of Belshazzar, the grand-

son of Nebuchadnezzar, proud Babylon was soon to fall. . .

He had known of his grandfather's banishment, by the decree

of God, from the society of men; and he was familiar with

Nebuchadnezzar's conversion and miraculous restoration. But

Belshazzar allowed the love of pleasure and self-glorification to

efface the lessons that he should never have forgotten. He

wasted the opportunities graciously granted him, and neglected

to use the means within his reach for becoming more fully

acquainted with truth. That which Nebuchadnezzar had finally

gained at the cost of untold suffering and humiliation, Bel-

shazzar passed by with indifference."—Prophets

and Kings,

pages

522, 523.

How did God communicate the sentence on Belshazzar

and Babylon? Dan. 5:24-28.

"In that last night of mad folly, Belshazzar and his lords

had filled up the measure of their guilt and the guilt of the

Chaldean kingdom. No longer could God's restraining hand

ward off the impending

evil."—Prophets and Kings,

page 530.

What is the significance of the expression "weighed

in the balances"?

"You, too, have failed

the great

purpose of life if you have not made it

your business to glorify God. In the

opinion of the world your life may have

been a success; you may have risen

from poverty to wealth, or have gained

a succession of social victories, yet in

the judgment of Heaven your life has

been a dismal failure, if the God in

whose hand thy breath is thou host not

glorified. Are you perplexed as to the

first step in this new and nobler life?

Then let me point you to the cross of

Christ. He who rejects the salvation

which God at infinite cost has provided

thereby dishonours God. Let God this

day have the glory of saving thee, and

seek, through fellomsftip with Jesus

Christ,

strengthnceforth to glorify

God, in whose hand thy breath is, and

whose are all thy ways."—"The Biblical

Illustrator," on Daniel 5:23, page 246.

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Prophets and Kings," pages 535-538.

Part 4

THE GREATNESS

OF THE LORD

Isa. 40:15, 17

Wednesday

October 11

"Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and

are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he

taketh up the isles as a very little thing." "All nations

before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him

less than nothing, and vanity."

God's Warnings

LESSON 2

The importance that one attaches to a message from another

is largely determined by how he views the person who sends

the message. If the message sender is regarded as insignificant,

the message will probably be regarded as insignificant also.

Only as God's greatness is understood will the importance of

His communication to men be appreciated.

"Why is so much attention given to human agencies, while

there is so little reaching up of the mind to the eternal God?

Why are those who claim to be children of the heavenly King

so absorbed in the things of this world? Let the Lord be ex-

alted. Let the word of the Lord be magnified. Let human beings

be placed low, and let the Lord be exalted. Remember that

earthly kingdoms, nations, monarchs, statesmen, counselors,

great armies, and all worldly magnificence and glory are as

the dust of the

balance."—Fundamentals of Christian Educa-

tion,

page 481.

11).-

As he compared the greatness of God's visible crea-

tion with the smallness of man, what question did David

ask? Ps. 8:3, 4.

"The world, filled with sport and pleasure-loving, is always

thirsting for some new interest. And how little time and

thought are given to the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

God calls upon His creatures to turn their attention from the

confusion and perplexity around them, and admire His handi-

work. Thejeavenly bodies are worthy of contemplation. God

has made them fie the benefit of man, and

—

we study His

works, angels of God will be by our side to enlighten our

minds."—Ellen G. White,

Sons and Daughters of God,

page

110.

THINK IT THROUGH



If men and nations are so insignificant, how can you

account for the divine self-sacrifice for man's redemption?

"But how is that law disregarded!

Behold the world today in open rebel-

lion against God. This is in truth a

froward generation, filled with ingrati-

tude, formalism, insincerity, pride, and

apostasy. Men neglect the Bible and

hate truth. Jesus sees His law rejected,

His love despised, His ambassadors

treated with indifference. He has

spoken by His mercies, but these have

been unacknowledged; He has spoken

by warnings, but these have been un-

heeded. The temple courts of the hu-

man soul have been turned into places

of unholy traffic. Selfishness, envy,

pride, malice—all are cherished."—

"Prophets and Kings," page 185.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Ministry of Healing," pages 415-418.

God's Warnings

LESSON 2

Part 5

GOD AND THE

FUTURE

Dan. 2:27, 28, 44

❑

Thursday

October 12

How far into the future were events revealed to

Nebuchadnezzar?

"The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the

wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the sooth-

sayers, shew unto the king; but there is a God in heaven

that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king

Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days." "And

in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set

up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the

kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall

break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it

shall stand for ever."

"Daniel declared plainly that the wise men, the astrologers,

the soothsayers, and the magicians could not make known this

secret. It was beyond their power. Therefore the king should

not be angry with them, nor put confidence in their vain super-

stitions. The prophet proceeded to make known the true God,

who rules in heaven, and is the only revealer of secrets."—

Uriah Smith,

Daniel and the Revelation

(1944 ed.), page 37.

"In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the

rise and fall of empires, appear as dependent on the will and

prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree,

to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the

word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, be-

hind, above, and through all the play and counterplay of

human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the

all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels

of His own

will."—Education,

page 173.

13.-

What unique power belongs to God? Isa. 41:21-23;

44:7, 8.

"God had a knowledge of the events of the future, even

before the creation of the world. He did not make His purposes

to fit circumstances, but He allowed matters to develop and

work out. He did not work to bring about a certain condition

of things, but He knew that such a condition would exist."

—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 6,

p. 1082.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is God's purpose in predictive prophecy?

"Nebuchadnezzar felt that he could made a deep impression on the sover-

accept this interpretation as a divine



eign's mind, and in humility and awe

revelation; for to Daniel had been re-



he fell upon his face, and wor-

vealed every detail of the dream. The shipped.'"—Ellen G. White Comments,

solemn truths conveyed by the inter-

"SDA Bible Commentary," Vol. 4, p.

pretation of this vision of the night



1169.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Education," pages 173-175.

2—A4QT.72

Part 6

WARNINGS FOR

TODAY

2 Peter 3:10

❑

Friday

October 13

What events will take place at "the day of the Lord"?

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the

night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a

great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent

heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall

be burned up."

"The hand of Omnipotence is at no loss for ways and means

to accomplish His purposes. He could reach into the bowels of

the earth and call forth His weapons, waters there concealed,

to aid in the destruction of the corrupt inhabitants of the old

world....

"Water will never destroy the earth again, but the weapons

of God are concealed in the bowels of the earth, which He

will draw forth to unite with the fire from heaven to accom-

plish His purpose in the destruction of all those who would

not receive the message of warning and purify their souls in

obeying the truth and being obedient to the laws of God."

—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 7,

p. 946.

Cs What is implied as that which alone will survive the

world's destruction? 2 Peter 3:11.

God's Warnings

LESSON 2

"Many who profess to be looking for the speedy coming

of Christ, are becoming conformed to this world, and seek more

earnestly for the applause of those around them, than the

approbation of God....

"Many of these professed Christians dress, talk and act like

the world, and the only thing by which they may be known,

is their profession. Though they profess to be looking for

Christ, their conversation is not in heaven, but on worldly

things."—Ellen G. White,

Sons and Daughters of God,

page 352.

THINK IT THROUGH



In what sense should we fear as we read of God's

warnings?

"When the flood of waters was at

its height upon the earth, it had the ap-

pearance of a boundless lake of water.

When God finally purifies the earth, it

will appear like a boundless lake of

fire. As God preserved the ark amid

the commotions of the Flood, because

it contained eight righteous persons,

He will preserve the New Jerusalem,

containing the faithful of all ages, from

righteous Abel down to the last saint

which lived. Although the whole earth,

with the exception of that portion

where the city rests, will be wrapped

in a sea of liquid fire, yet the city is

preserved as was the ark, by a miracle

of Almighty power. It stands unharmed

amid the devouring elements."—Ellen

G. White Comments, "SDA Bible Com-

mentary," Vol. 7, p. 986.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 9, pp.

11-13.

Re4

HRicS

How

LESSON 3

October 15-21

SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING: FALSE RELIGION

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great

signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very

elect." Matt. 24:24.

In response to the disciples' request for a

sign of His coming (Matt. 24:3) Jesus first

presented the warning about false christs.

Most of the signs that Jesus presented He

mentioned only once. This one, along with

one other, He gave twice. The importance

that Jesus attached to this sign is indicated

by its position and repetition.

If you are to meet a person at the station

or airport, it is important that you meet

the person you are expecting, and not some-

one else. If, in relation to the coming of

Jesus, we were to meet and accept an im-

postor, then our hope in the advent would

be in vain.

We must meet Jesus, and not an im-

personator. The signs Jesus gave are to

assure that we prepare for and meet the

true Christ, and not a deceiver; and the

efforts at deception themselves constitute a

sign of the advent.

This lesson deals with Satan's efforts to

conquer truth by deception.

LESSON OUTLINE

Impostors

Matt. 24:4, 5, 11

Miracles

Matt. 24:24

Spiritism

2 Thess. 2:9

The First Deception

Gen. 3:4; 2:17

Illustration of Satan's Deception

1 Sam. 28:7

How to Reject Deception

Eph. 6:10, 14-17

Part 1

IMPOSTORS

Matt. 24:4, 5, 11

❑

Sunday

October 15

Is What did Jesus say would cause many to be deceived?

Signs of Christ's Coming: False Religion

LESSON 3

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed

that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my

name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

"And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive

many."

This statement of Jesus was directed primarily to the time

leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem and secondarily to

the time leading to the second advent. The signs for these two

events are blended in verses 4-20. Beginning in verse 21 the

prophecy relates specifically to Christ's return. See

The Desire

of Ages,

page 630, last two paragraphs.

Is The second mention of false christs and prophets fol-

lows what prophecy? Matt. 24:21-24. What does this

indicate?

"Many false messiahs will appear, claiming to work miracles,

and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish

nation has come. These will mislead many. Christ's words were

fulfilled. Between His death and the siege of Jerusalem many

false messiahs appeared. But this warning was given also to

those who live in this age of the world. The same deceptions

practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem have been

practiced through the ages, and will be practiced again."—

The Desire of Ages,

page 628.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the basic purpose of deception?

"This sign is given as a sign of the

second advent. Even now false christs

and false prophets are showing signs

and wonders to seduce His disciples.

Do we not hear the cry, 'Behold, He is

in the desert'? Have not thousands

gone forth into the desert, hoping to

find Christ? And from thousands of

gatherings where men profess to hold

communion with departed spirits is not

the call now heard, 'Behold, He is in

the secret chambers'? This is the very

claim that spiritism puts forth. But what

says Christ? 'Believe it not. For as the

lightning cometh out of the east, and

shineth even unto the west; so shall

also the coming of the Son of man be.'"

—"The Desire of Ages," page 631.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 523, 524.

Signs of Christ's Coming: False Religion

LESSON 3



❑

Monday

October 16

Part 2 10- How will false christs and false prophets seek to sub-

MIRACLES stantiate their deceptions?

Matt. 24:24

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,

and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that,

if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

"Satan has come down in these last days to work with all

deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. His

satanic majesty works miracles in the sight of false prophets,

in the sight of men, claiming that he is indeed Christ Himself.

Satan gives his power to those who are aiding him in his

deceptions; therefore those who claim to have the great power

of God can only be discerned by the great detector, the law

of Jehovah. The Lord tells us if it were possible they would

deceive the very elect. The sheep's clothing seems so real, so

genuine, that the wolf can be discerned only as we go to

God's great moral standard and there find that they are trans-

gressors of the law of Jehovah."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 6, p. 1106.

0- What power is presented in Revelation as also per-

forming miracles to support deceit? Rev. 13:11, 13, 14.

"No mere impostures are here foretold. Men are deceived

by the miracles which Satan's agents have power to do, not

which they pretend to do.

"The prince of darkness, who has so long bent the powers

of his mastermind to the work of deception, skillfully adapts

his temptations to men of all classes and conditions. . . .

"The mighty being who could take the world's Redeemer

to an exceedingly high mountain and bring before Him all the

kingdoms of the earth and the glory of them, will present his

temptations to men in a manner to pervert the senses of all

who are not shielded by divine power."—The

Great Con-

troversy,

pages 553, 554.

THINK IT THROUGH



What does a miracle prove? See "Selected Messages,"

Bk. 2, pp. 52, 54.

"The time is coming when Satan will

work miracles right in your sight, claim-

ing that he is Christ; and if your feet

are not firmly established upon the

truth of God, then you will be led away

from your foundation. The only safety

for you is to search for the truth as for

hid treasures. Dig for the truth as you

would for treasures in the earth, and

present the word of God, the Bible,

before your Heavenly Father, and say,

Enlighten me; teach me what is truth.

. . . You should store the mind with

the wcir

—

of..God; for you maybe sep-

arated, and placed where you will not

have the privilege of meeting with the

children of God."—Ellen G. White, "Re-

view and Herald," Apr. 3, 1888.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 528, 529.

Part 3

SPIRITISM

2 Thess. 2:9

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Tuesday

October 17

10.

What means of deception will be used by a power

allied with Satan?

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of

Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders."

"Says Christ, 'By their fruits ye shall know them.' If those

through whom cures are performed, are disposed, on account

of these manifestations, to excuse their neglect of the law of

God and continue in disobedience, though they have power to

any and every extent, it does not follow that they have the

great power of God. On the contrary, it is the miracle-working

power of the great deceiver. He is a transgressor of the moral

law, and employs every device that he can master to blind

men to its true character. We are warned that in the last days

he will work with signs and lying wonders. And he will con-

tinue these wonders until the close of probation, that he may

point to them as evidence that he is an angel of light and not

of darkness."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Com-

mentary,

Vol. 7, p. 911.

What is the source of power behind the miracle work-

ing that culminates in Armageddon? Rev. 16:14.

"Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be

revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-

working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the

kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in

deception, and urge them on to unite with Satan in his last

struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies,

rulers and subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise

pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and

worship which belong to the world's Redeemer. They will

perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have

revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the

Scriptures."—The

Great Controversy,

page 624.

Why will the elect not be deceived by Satan's delu-

sions?

Signs of Christ's Coming: False Religion

LESSON 3

"Now the great deceiver will make

it appear that Christ has come. In dif-

ferent parts of the earth, Satan will

manifest himself among men as a ma-

jestic being of dazzling brightness, re-

sembling the description of the Son of

God given by John in the Revelation.

the air: 'Christ has come! Christ has

come!' The people prostrate themselves

in adoration before him, while he lifts

up his hands and pronounces a bless-

ing upon them. . . . This is the strong,

almost overmastering delusion."—"The

Great Controversy," page 624.

. .. The shout of triumph rings out upon

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"The Great Controversy," pages 624-626.

Signs of Christ's Coming: False Religion

LESSON 3

Part 4

THE FIRST

DECEPTION

Gen. 3:4; 2:17

❑

Wednesday

October 18

►

What was earth's first deception? How do you know

it was a deception?

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not

surely die."

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,

thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest

thou shalt surely die."

"Satan has long been preparing for his final effort to deceive

the world. The foundation of his work was laid by the assur-

ance given to Eve in Eden: `Ye shall not surely die.' In the

day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye

shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' . . . Little by little

he has prepared the way for his masterpiece of deception in the

development of spiritualism. He has not yet reached the full

accomplishment of his designs; but it will be reached in the

last remnant of

time."—The Great Controversy,

page 561.

►

Contrast the deceptive promise of the serpent and the

results of believing it. Gen. 3:4, 5, 19.

"The only one who promised Adam life in disobedience was

the great deceiver. And the declaration of the serpent to Eve

in Eden—We shall not surely die'—was the first sermon ever

preached upon the immortality of the soul. Yet this declaration,

resting solely upon the authority of Satan, is echoed from the

pulpits of Christendom and is received by the majority of

mankind as readily as it was received by our first parents.

The divine sentence, 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die' (Ezekiel

18:20), is made to mean: The soul that sinneth, it shall not

die, but live eternally. We cannot but wonder at the strange

infatuation which renders men so credulous concerning the

words of Satan and so unbelieving in regard to the words of

God."—The Great Controversy,

page 533.

THINK IT THROUGH



Why is Satan eager to deceive people?

"Eve really believed the words of

Satan, but her belief did not save her

from the penalty of sin. She disbelieved

the words of God, and this was what

led to her fall. In the judgment men

will not be condemned because they

conscientiously believed a lie, but be-

cause they did not believe the truth,

because they neglected the opportunity

of learning what is truth. Notwithstand-

ing the sophistry of Satan to the con-

trary, it is always disastrous to disobey

God. We must set our hearts to know

what is truth. All the lessons which

God has caused to be placed on record

in His word are for our warning and

instruction. They are given to save us

from deception. Their neglect will result

in ruin to ourselves. Whatever contra-

dicts God's word, we may be sure pro-

ceeds from Satan."—"Patriarchs and

Prophets," page 55.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The

Great Controversy," pages 531-534.

Part 5

ILLUSTRATION

OF SATAN'S

DECEPTION

1 Sam. 28:7

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Thursday

October

ts-

To whom did Saul turn in a time of emergency?

"Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman

that hath a familiar spirit, that I go to her, and enquire

of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a

woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor."

"When Saul asked the medium to describe what she saw,

she replied, 'An old man cometh up; and he is covered with

a mantle.' But

Saul actually saw nothing.

The narrative de-

clares 'Saul perceived' (that is, believed with the mind) that

what this abandoned woman saw was Samuel. We do not

doubt that she

saw

something, but it certainly was not Samuel.

Is it likely that Samuel, the prophet of God and leader of the

nation, the man who during life vigorously condemned witch-

craft, would, even if such a thing were possible, come in answer

to the demands of a witch during her incantations at night?

Such a thing is unthinkable.

"The whole episode was plainly the work of evil angels. It is

evident that Saul received neither comfort nor assurance. The

next day this poor deceived man took his own life. One can

never contemplate that massive form bending over the upturned

sword of suicide without realizing the awful price he paid for

his willful disobedience. When he turned aside from the living

God and sought the counsel of mediums he was fighting against

God."—R. A. Anderson,

Secrets of the Spirit World,

pages 59,

60.

What was the result of Saul's spiritistic inquiry?

1 Chron. 10:13.

"By consulting that spirit of darkness Saul had destroyed

himself. . . . Separated from the Source of strength, he could

not lead the minds of Israel to look to God as their helper.

Thus the prediction of evil would work its own accomplish-

ment."—Patriarchs and Prophets,

page 681.

Of what relevancy today is the ancient story of Saul

and the medium?

Signs of Christ's Coming: False Religion

LESSON 3

"Modern spiritualism, resting upon

the same foundation, is but a revival

in a new form of the witchcraft and

demon worship that God condemned

and prohibited of old. It is foretold in

the Scriptures, which declare that 'in

the latter times some shall depart from

the faith, giving heed to seducing spir-

its, and doctrines of devils.' 1 Timothy

4:1. Paul, in his second letter to the

Thessalonians, points to the special

working of Satan in spiritualism as an

event to take place immediately before

the second advent of Christ. . . . He

declares that it is 'after the working

of Satan with all power and signs and

lying wonders.' 2 Thessalonians 2:9."

—"Patriarchs and Prophets" page 686.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages 683-687.

Signs of Christ's Coining: False Religion

LESSON 3



❑

Friday

October 20

Part 6

►

What specific provisions has God made to enable the

HOW TO REJECT Christian to withstand Satan's deceptions?

DECEPTION

Eph. 6:10, 14-17

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in

the power of his might." "Stand therefore, having your

loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate

of righteousness; and your feet shod with the prepara-

tion of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield

of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the

fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salva-

tion, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of

God."

Each of the six parts of the Christian life, that Paul illus-

trates as pieces of armor, is related directly to the Christian's

mind. And the idea of deception assumes intelligence, for there

can be no deception without a mind to deceive. The mind of

every living human being will eventually either be committed

to truth or deceived. The only protection against the decep-

tions of Satan, now or future, is in truth, righteousness, the

gospel, faith, salvation, and the Spirit working through the

Word.

What did Jesus point to as protection against decep-

tion? Matt. 24:24, 25.

Jesus foretold the general nature of the deceptions that would

confront the world before His advent. Without revelation the

world would be helplessly deceived. With revelation the world's

people will have opportunity to choose between believing the

truth and believing a lie.

THINK IT THROUGH



Is there any other source of protection against the

deceptions of Satan than the Scriptures? Why?

"In order to endure the trial before

them, they must understand the will of

God as revealed in His word; they can

honor Him only as they have a right

conception of His character, govern-

ment, and purposes, and act in accord-

ance with them. None but those who

have forlifiec1 the mind with the truths

of the Bible will stand through the last

great conflict. To every soul will come

the searching test: Shall I obey God

rather than men? The decisive hour is

even now at hand. Are our feet planted

on the rock of God's immutable word?

Are we prepared to stand firm in de-

fense of the commandments of God and

the faith of Jesus?"—"The Great Con-

troversy," pages 593, 594.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 593-602.

LESSON 4

October

22-28

SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING:

TRIBULATION AND THE GOSPEL

"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But

evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being de-

ceived." 2 Tim. 3:12, 13.

In last week's lesson we noted Christ's

warning that deception in religion would be

practiced until His coming. The other sign

that Jesus stated twice was persecution.

(Matt. 24:9, 10, and 21, 22.) Thus decep-

tion and persecution were given more em-

phasis by Jesus than any other signs in

Matthew 24. While last week we studied

Satan's use of deceit to prevent prepara-

tion for the advent, this week we will first

note his use of violence for the same pur-

pose. Jesus noted deceit and persecution to

be so certain a strategy of Satan that they

actually constituted signs of Jesus' return.

In Matthew 24 these two devilish phe-

nomena are presented together. (Vs. 9-11

and 21-24.) They belong together. The

devil is both a liar and a murderer, and he

uses both of his traits against the waiting

church of Jesus Christ. By contrast Jesus

Christ is the True Witness and the Lord of

life.

As the world's use of deception and vio-

lence to gain adherents to its principles is

a sign of Jesus' return, so the preaching of

the gospel in all the world is a sign. This is

the Christian counterpart of deception and

persecution—the truth made plain by wit-

ness. In Matt. 24:9-14 Jesus presents the

methods of the world and of the church

which each uses to gain the allegiance of

earth's population in the days preceding

Jesus' return. Both the method of the world

and the method of the church will be stud-

ied this week as signs of Jesus' advent.

LESSON OUTLINE

Tribulation for Christ's Name

Matt. 24:9, 10

The Great Tribulation

Matt. 24:21

Future Tribulation

Rev. 13:15-17

Preaching the Gospel

Matt. 24:14

Universal Witness

Rev. 14:6; Matt. 24:14

Impending Loud Cry

Rev. 18:1, 4

Signs of Christ's Coming: Tribulation and the Gospel

LESSON 4

Part 1

TRIBULATION FOR

CHRIST'S NAME

Matt. 24:9, 10

❑

Sunday

October 22

►

What did Jesus say would be a cause of apostasy

before His coming?

"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and

shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for

my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and

shall betray one another, and shall hate one another."

What is the reason for this hatred, by the world, of those

who follow Jesus? It is because the principle by which the

world lives and that by which Jesus and His followers live are

incompatible opposites. The self-centered principle of Satan

and the world leads men to resort to force. The principle of

love, or unselfishness, held by Jesus and His followers leaves

every person free to make his own decision.

"Between righteousness and sin, love and hatred, truth

and falsehood, there is an irrepressible conflict. When one

presents the love of Christ and the beauty of holiness, he is

drawing away the subjects of Satan's kingdom, and the prince

of evil is aroused to resist it. Persecution and reproach await

all who are imbued with the Spirit of Christ. The character of

the persecution changes with the times, but the principle—the

spirit that underlies it—is the same that has slain the chosen

of the Lord ever since the days of

Abel."—Thoughts From the

Mount of Blessing,

page 29.

►

To what times do Jesus' words of verse 9 point? Matt.

24:1-3.

"From Olivet the Saviour beheld the storms about to

fall upon the apostolic church; and penetrating deeper into

the future, His eye discerned the fierce, wasting tempests that

were to beat upon His followers in the coming ages of darkness

and persecution. In a few brief utterances. . . . He foretold

the portion which the rulers of this world would mete out to

the church of God."—The

Great Controversy,

page 39.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the meaning of the phrase "for my name's

sake"?

"The Saviour bade His disciples not

to hope that the world's enmity to the

gospel would be overcome, and that

after a time its opposition would cease.

He said, 'I came not to send peace, but

a sword.' This creating of strife is not

the effect of the gospel, but the result of

opposition to it. Of all persecution the

hardest to bear is variance in the

home, the estrangement of dearest

earthly friends. But Jesus declares, 'He

that loveth father or mother more than

Me is not worthy of Me: and he that

loveth son or daughter more than Me is

not worthy of Me. And he that taketh

not his cross, and followeth after Me,

is not worthy of Me.' "—"The Desire of

Ages," page 357.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Desire of Ages, " pages 354-357.

Signs of Christ's Coming: Tribulation and the Gospel

LESSON 4

Part 2

THE GREAT

TRIBULATION

Matt. 24:21

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Monday

October 23

"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not

since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever

shall be."

1)- What prophetic period was the time of great tribula-

tion? Dan. 7:25.

"From the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ passed on rap-

idly to the greater event, the last link in the chain of this

earth's history,—the coming of the Son of God in majesty and

glory. Between •these two events, there lay open to Christ's

view long centuries of darkness, centuries for His church

marked with blood and tears and agony. Upon these scenes

His disciples could not then endure to look, and Jesus passed

them by with a brief mention. 'Then shall be great tribula-

tion,' He said, 'such as was not since the beginning of the

world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those

days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but

for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.' For more

than a thousand years such persecution as the world had never

before known was to come upon Christ's followers. Millions

upon millions of His faithful witnesses were to be slain."—

The Desire of Ages,

pages 630, 631.

la-

What would prevent the complete annihilation of hu-

man beings? Matt. 24:22.

"The persecution of the church did not continue throughout

the entire period of the 1260 years. God in mercy to His people

cut short the time of their fiery trial. In foretelling the 'great

tribulation' to befall the church, the Saviour said: 'Except

those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved:

but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.' Matthew

24:22. Through the influence of the Reformation the persecu-

tion was brought to an end prior to

1798."—The Great Con-

troversy,

pages 266, 267.

What is the root relationship between persecution and

the second coming of Jesus?

"When Cain, moved by the spirit of

the wicked one, saw that he could not

control Abel, he was so enraged that

he destroyed his life. And wherever

there are any who will stand in vindi-

cation of the righteousness of the law

of God, the same spirit will be mani-

fested against them. It is the spirit that

through all the ages has set up the

stake and kindled the burning pile for

the disciples of Christ. But the cruelties

heaped upon the follower of Jesus are

instigated by Satan and his hosts be-

cause they cannot force him to submit

to their control. It is the rage of a van-

quished foe. Every martyr of Jesus has

died a conquerer.—"Patriarchs and

Prophets," page

77.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"The Acts of the Apostles," pages 84-86.

Part 3

FUTURE

TRIBULATION

Rev. 13:15-17

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Tuesday

October 24

What results will follow a refusal to worship accord-

ing to legal prescription?

"And he had power to give life unto the image of the

beast, that the image of the beast should both speak,

and cause that as many as would not worship the image

of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both

small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive

a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and

that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the

mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his

name."

"As the defenders of truth refuse to honor the Sunday-

sabbath [in the final crisis], some of them will be thrust into

prison, some will be exiled, some will be treated as slaves. To

human wisdom all this now seems impossible; but as the

restraining Spirit of God shall be withdrawn from men, and

they shall be under the control of Satan, who hates the divine

precepts, there will be strange developments. The heart can

be very cruel when God's fear and love are removed."—The

Great Controversy,

page 608.

"Let opposition arise, let bigotry and intolerance again bear

sway, let persecution be kindled, and the halfhearted and

hypocritical will waver and yield the faith; but the true Chris-

tain will stand firm as a rock, his faith stronger, his hope

brighter, than in days of prosperity."—Ibid., p. 602.

Ea-

What separation in the church does the deception and

violence of the world bring? Matt. 24:12, 13.

Why does true Christianity produce persecution?

Signs of Christ's Coming: Tribulation and the Gospel

LESSON 4

"God never forces the will or the con-

science; but Satan's constant resort—

to gain control of those whom he can-

not otherwise seduce—is compulsion by

cruelty. Through fear or force he en-

deavors to rule the conscience and to

secure homage to himself. To accom-

plish this, he works through both reli-

gious and secular authorities, moving

them to the enforcement of human

laws in defiance of the law of God.

"Those who honor the Bible Sabbath

will be denounced as enemies of law

and order, as breaking down the moral

restraints of society, causing anarchy

and corruption, and calling down the

judgments of God upon the earth. Their

conscientious scruples will be pro-

nounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and

contempt of authority. They will be

accused of disaffection toward the gov-

ernment."—"The Great Controversy,"

pages 591, 592.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 603-605.

Signs of Christ's Coming: Tribulation and the Gospel

LESSON 4

Part 4

PREACHING THE

GOSPEL

Matt. 24:14

❑

Wednesday

October 25

to- What is the content of the message that is to be her-

alded?

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in

all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall

the end come."

The gospel is the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

"Lift up Jesus, you that teach the people, lift Him up in

sermon, in song, in prayer. Let all your powers be directed to

pointing souls, confused, bewildered, lost, to 'the Lamb of

God.' Lift Him up, the risen Saviour, and say to all who hear,

Come to Him who 'bath loved us, and hath given Himself for

us.' Let the science of salvation be the burden of every sermon,

the theme of every song. Let it be poured forth in every

supplication. Bring nothing into your preaching to supplement

Christ, the wisdom and power of God. Hold forth the word

of life, presenting Jesus as the hope of the penitent and the

stronghold of every believer. Reveal the way of peace to the

troubled and the despondent, and show forth the grace and

completeness of the

Saviour."—Gospel Workers,

page 160.

I). By what method is the gospel of Jesus to be carried?

"God's appointed means of saving souls is through 'the fool-

ishness of preaching.' Though human, and compassed with the

frailties of humanity, men are God's messengers; and the dear

Saviour is grieved when so little is effected by their labors.

Every minister who goes out into the great harvest field should

magnify his office. He should not only seek to bring men to

the knowledge of the truth, but he should labor, as did Paul,

'warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom,'

that he may 'present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.'

"—

Testimonies,

Vol. 5, p. 300.

Contrast this loving persuasion with the persecution by Satan

and his followers.

THINK IT THROUGH



Is my life-style based on the persuasive principles of

the gospel, or the coercive principles of the world?

"Persecution will spread the light. oppress the disciples. But under loss

The servants of Christ will be brought



and suffering, even unto death, the

before the great men of the world,



Lord's children are to reveal the meek-

who, but for this, might never hear



ness of their divine Example. Thus will

the gospel. . . . As the Spirit of God



be seen the contrast between Satan's

illuminates the minds of His servants,



agents and the representatives of

the truth will be presented in its divine



Christ. The Saviour will be lifted up

power and preciousness. Those who before the rulers and the people."—

reject the truth will stand to accuse and



"The Desire of Ages," page 354.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Desire of Ages, " pages 349-352.

Signs of Christ's Coming: Tribulation and the Gospel



El Thursday

LESSON 4



October 26



Part 5



How widespread and particular is the last preaching

UNIVERSAL of the gospel to be?

WITNESS

Rev. 14:6;



Matt. 24:14



"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,

having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that

dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred,

and tongue, and people."

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in

all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall

the end come."

"The commission given to the disciples is given also to us.

To-day, as then, a crucified and risen Saviour is to be uplifted

before those who are without God and without hope in the

world. The Lord calls for pastors, teachers, and evangelists.

From door to door His servants are to proclaim the message

of salvation. To every nation, kindred, tongue, and people the

tidings of pardon through Christ are to be carried."—Gospel

Workers,

page 29.

Note that the preaching of the gospel is coextensive with the

hatred of the world for Jesus' followers.

ta- Why must all men hear the message?

"But not one is made to suffer the wrath of God until the

truth has been brought home to his mind and conscience, and

has been rejected. There are many who have never had an

opportunity to hear the special truths for this time. The obli-

gation of the fourth commandment has never been set before

them in its true light. He who reads every heart.and tries every

motive will leave none who desire a knowledge of the truth, to

be deceived as to the issues of the controversy. The decree is

not to be urged upon the people blindly. Everyone is to have

sufficient light to make his decision intelligently."—The

Great

Controversy,

page 605.



THINK IT THROUGH



What is my paramount task in hastening the advent?

"The power of a higher, purer, no-

bler life is our great need. The world is

watching to see what fruit is borne by

professed Christians. It Wars a right to

look for self-denial and self-sacrifice

from those who believe advanced

truth. . . .

"Christ is waiting with longing de-

sire for the manifestation of Himself in

His church. When the character of the

Saviour shall be perfectly reproduced

in His people, then He will come to

claim His own. It is the privilege of ev-

ery Christian, not only to look for, but

to hasten, the coming of our Lord. Were

all who profess His name bearing fruit

to His glory, how quickly the whole

world would be sown with the seed of

the gospel! Quickly the last great har-

vest would be ripened, and Christ

would come."—"Counsels to Teachers,"

page 324.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Counsels to Teachers," pages 321-324.

Signs of Christ's Coming: Tribulation and the Gospel



❑

Friday

LESSON 4



October

Part 6 C. What is the purpose of the final gospel witness?

IMPENDING

LOUD CRY

Rev. 18:1, 4



"And after these things I saw another angel come

down from heaven, having great power; and the earth

was lightened with his glory." "And I heard another

voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people,

that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive

not of her plagues."

"The Lord God of heaven will not send upon the world His

judgments for disobedience and transgression until He has sent

His watchmen to give the warning. He will not close up the

period of probation until the message shall be more distinctly

proclaimed. The law of God is to be magnified; its claims must

be presented in their true, sacred character, that the people

may be brought to decide for or against the truth. Yet the work

will be cut short in righteousness. The message of Christ's righ-

teousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other

to prepare the way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which

closes the work of the third

angel."—Testimonies,

Vol. 6, p. 19.

"The prophecies in the eighteenth of Revelation will soon be

fulfilled. During the proclamation of the third angel's message,

'another angel' is to 'come down from heaven, having great

power,' and the earth is to be 'lightened with his glory.' The

Spirit of the Lord will so graciously bless consecrated human

instrumentalities that men, women, and children will open their

lips in praise and thanksgiving, filling the earth with the knowl-

edge of God, and with His unsurpassed glory, as the waters

cover the sea."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Com-

mentary,

Vol. 7, p. 984.

"During the loud cry, the church, aided by the providential

interpositions of her exalted Lord, will diffuse the knowledge

of salvation so abundantly that light will be communicated to

every city and town. The earth will be filled with the knowl-

edge of salvation. So abundantly will the renewing Spirit of

God have crowned with success the intensely active agencies,

that the light of present truth will be seen flashing every-

where."—Evangelism,

page 694.

THINK IT THROUGH



What are the prerequisites to my receiving the latter

rain and participating in the loud cry?

"Instead of man's speculations, let



ing of the Spirit in apostolic days was

the word of God be preached. Let Chris-

the 'former rain,' and glorious was the

tians put away their dissensions, and



result. But the 'latter rain' will be more

give themselves to God for the saving abundant. Joel 2:23."—"The Desire of

of the lost. Let them in faith ask for the



Ages," page 827.

blessing, and it will come. The outpour-

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 610-612.

LESSON 5

October

to November 4

SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING: IN THE HEAVENS

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and

the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the

powers of the heavens shall be shaken." Matt. 24:29.

The greatest event of all the ages, the

second coming of Christ, is soon to take

place. He wants us to know about this

wonderful event so that we may be ready

for it. Himself the greatest of the prophets,

He promised that the approach of His re-

turn would be announced by undeniable

signs in that most noticeable of all sign-

boards, the heavens.

"He comes again, Creator of the speed-

ing spheres. The God of nature returns.

Little wonder that the very elements will

first herald and then accompany His trium-

phant descent ! . . .

"At the time of Christ's death the sun

refused to shine on the scene. The earth

quaked. All nature rebelled at what was

done to its Creator. Would you not, then,

expect that the God of the atom, the Christ

who stilled the storm and quieted the waves

with a word, would herald His return, the

climax of human history, by manifesta-

tions in nature? Listen to this: 'I will shew

wonders in the heavens . . . before the

great and terrible day of the Lord come.'

Joel 2:30, 31. And Jesus Himself said,

3—A4QT.72

`There shall be signs in the sun, and in the

moon, and in the stars.' Luke 21:25."—

George Vandeman,

Planet in Rebellion,

page 118.

LESSON OUTLINE

Celestial Signs of the Past

Ex. 10:21-23

The Prophets Predicted

Celestial Signs

Amos 8:9

The Day of the Lord

Isa. 13:9, 10

New Testament Predictions of

Celestial Signs

Matt. 24:29, first part

The Meaning of the Dark

Day and the Falling Stars

Matt. 24:30

The Modern Relevancy of

Celestial Signs

Matt. 24:29, 30

Part 1

CELESTIAL SIGNS

OF THE PAST

Ex. 10:21-23

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Sunday

October

What circumstances prevailed during the ninth plague

on Egypt?

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand

toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land

of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses

stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was

a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: they

saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for

three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their

dwellings."

"Not only were the people deprived of light, but the at-

mosphere was very oppressive, so that breathing was difficult.

`They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for

three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their

dwellings.' The sun and moon were objects of worship to the

Egyptians; in this mysterious darkness the people and their

gods alike were smitten by the power that had undertaken the

cause of the bondmen. Yet fearful as it was, this judgment is

an evidence of God's compassion and His unwillingness to de-

stroy. He would give the people time for reflection and repent-

ance before bringing upon them the last and most terrible of the

plagues."—Patriarchs and Prophets,

page 272.

1:0-

When Jesus was crucified, what conditions existed for

three hours? Luke 23:44, 45.

"Complete darkness, like a funeral pall, enveloped the cross.

`There was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.'

There was no eclipse or other natural cause for this darkness,

which was as deep as midnight without moon or stars. It was

a miraculous testimony given by God that the faith of after

generations might be confirmed."—The

Desire of Ages,

page

753.

For what reasons did God give these signs on Egypt

and at the cross?

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Heavens

LESSON 5

"The conviction forced upon many

at the time of Christ's trial, at the time

when the three hours' darkness en-

shrouded the cross, without any natural

cause for it, and when the last sen-

tences were uttered, 'My God, my God,

why hast thou forsaken me?' It is

finished,' Into thy hands I commend

my spirit,' was seed sown that ripened

into harvest when at a future date the

gospel was boldly proclaimed by His

disciples. The shaking earth, the pierc-

ing cry, the sudden death which called

forth in no whispered tones the cry, 'It

is finished,' forced from many the

words, 'Assuredly this man was righ-

teous'; 'Truly this was the Son of God.' "

—Ellen G. White Comments, "SDA Bible

Commentary," Vol. 5, p. 1108.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Desire of Ages," pages 753-757.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Heavens

LESSON 5

Part 2

THE PROPHETS

PREDICTED

CELESTIAL SIGNS

Amos 8:9

Monday

October 30

0. What celestial wonders did Amos prophesy?

"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord

God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I

will darken the earth in the clear day."

This prophecy was written by Amos as part of a larger

prophecy, including all of chapter 8, that deals with the cap-

tivity of the northern kingdom, Israel, and her eventual non-

existence.

0- What celestial wonders did Ezekiel prophesy? Ezek.

32:7. About what event was he writing? Verses 2, 7.

►

In what context did Joel write of celestial signs?

Joel 3:1, 15.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is common to the setting in which the prophets

predict celestial signs?

"The student of the Bible who hopes

to secure

—

theg

Teatest

help will

first proceed to reconstruct the historical

context of each passage. He will listen

to the prophet speaking to Israel of old

and endeavor to understand what his

words meant to the people who origi-

nally heard them. But he will listen also

for the further import the prophet's

words may have for later times, par-

ticularly, our time. Indeed, this second-

ary application is for us today the more

significant. But it is only against the

background of the original historical

context of the message that its meaning

and value for us can be established

with certainty.

"A study of the Old Testament

prophets that consists primarily of lift-

ing selected passages here and there

out of their historical context and arbi-

trarily applying them to our day—as if

the prophet spoke exclusively for our

benefit—is fraught with grave danger.

In fact, this procedure is responsible

more than anything else for the fanci-

ful interpretations that distinguish the

teachings of certain religious groups."

—"SDA Bible Commentary," Vol. 4, pp.

37, 38.

FOR

FURTHER STUDY: "SDA

Bible Commentary," Vol.

pp. 36-38.

Signs of Christ's Coining: In the Heavens

LESSON 5



❑

Tuesday

October 31

Part 3

THE DAY OF

THE LORD

Isa. 13:9, 10

"Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with

wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he

shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars

of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give

their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth,

and the moon shall not cause her light to shine."

In yesterday's section of the lesson the relation between

prophecies of doom and celestial signs was noted. The prophets

often refer to these days of judgment as "the day of the Lord,"

as does Isaiah in the above reference.

"This expression occurs at least 20 times in the writings of

the various OT prophets. It is always used in reference to a

time of divine judgment upon a city or nation (rather than

upon individuals), or eventually upon the inhabitants of the

whole world....

" 'The day of the Lord' against Judah (see Isa. 2:12 ; Joel

1:15; 2:1; Zeph. 1:7) was thus the day when, as a nation, it

was no longer permitted to continue on in its reprobate course

and divine judgment was meted out against it (see Eze. 12 :21-

28). . . . What happens to a city or to an entire nation when

`the day of the Lord' comes to it is similar to what will happen

to the whole world at the close of its probation. . . . Thus,

principles that apply when 'the day of the Lord' comes to any

city or nation also apply when 'the day of the Lord' comes

upon the world as a whole, and an OT prophetic description

of the fate of some ancient city or nation in terms of 'the day

of the Lord' applies also in principle to 'the great day of the

Lord' (Zeph. 1:14) at the end of time."—SDA

Bible Com-

mentary,

on Isa. 13:6.

What description of the day of the Lord is given by

Zephaniah? Zeph. 1:14, 15.

THINK IT THROUGH



How is the expression "the day of the Lord" appro-

priate to the day of doom and judgment?

"God's elect must stand untainted

amid the corruptions teeming around

them in these last days. . . . The Spirit

of God should have perfect control, in-

fluencing every action.

"Those who enter upon active life

with firm principles will be prepared

to stand unsullied amid the moral pol-

lutions of this corrupt age.

"'Who, 0 Lord, shall stand when

thou appearest?' Only those who have

clean hands and a pure heart shall

abide in the day of His coming.... As

you hope to be finally exalted to join

the society of sinless angels and to live

in an atmosphere where there is not

the least taint of sin, seek purity; for

nothing else Hill abide the searching

test of the day of God and be received

into a pure and holy heaven."—Ellen

G. White, "My Life Today," page 72.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 310, 311.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Heavens

LESSON 5

Part 4

NEW TESTAMENT

PREDICTIONS OF

CELESTIAL SIGNS

Matt. 24:29, first part

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Wednesday

November 1

What events related to the sun and moon did Jesus

foretell?

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall

the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her

light."

Jesus "mentioned certain events to precede His coming, and

fixed the time when the first of these should be witnessed: 'In

those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened,

and the moon shall not give her light.' Mark 13:24. The 1260

days, or years, terminated in 1798. A quarter of a century

earlier, persecution had almost wholly ceased. Following this

persecution, according to the words of Christ, the sun was to

be darkened. On the 19th of May, 1780, this prophecy was

fulfilled."—The

Great Controversy,

page 306.

Ca What event related to the stars did Jesus foretell?

Mark 13:25.

"In 1833, . . . the last of the signs appeared which were

promised by the Saviour as tokens of His second advent. Said

Jesus: 'The stars shall fall from heaven.' Matthew 24:29. . . .

This prophecy received a striking and impressive fulfillment in

the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833."—The

Great

Controversy,

page 333.

The dark day and the falling of the stars are occurrences

that are so well-known among Seventh-day Adventists that

one may question the wisdom of including them here. The pur-

pose is to look at them anew in the light of related Old Testa-

ment texts. They are thus seen, not as merely unusual happen-

ings that foretell the advent of Jesus, but as events that bristle

with meaning imparted by their Old Testament antecedents

and that give an eschatological quality to our own life time.

Why are celestial signs especially appropriate as signs

of the advent from a Biblical viewpoint? From a psy-

chological viewpoint?

"Let men beware lest they neglect

the lesson conveyed to them in the

words of Christ. As He warned His

disciples of Jerusalem's destruction, giv-

ing them a sign of the approaching

ruin, that they might make their escape;

so He has warned the world of the day

of final destruction and has given them

tokens of its approach, that all who

will may flee from the wrath to come.

Jesus declares: 'There shall be signs in

the sun, and in the moon, and in the

stars; and upon the earth distress of

nations.' Luke 21:25; Matthew 24:29;

Mark 13:24-26; Revelation 6:12-17.

Those who behold these harbingers of

His coming are to 'know that it is near,

even at the doors.' Matthew 24:33."

—"The Great Controversy," pages 37,

38.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Early Writings," page 41.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Heavens

LESSON 5



❑

Thursday

November 2



Part 5



"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in

THE MEANING OF heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,

THE DARK DAY and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds

AND THE of heaven with power and great glory."

FALLING STARS



Matt. 24:30



The darkened sun and accompanying manifestations, which

were related to the day of the Lord in the Old Testament,

Jesus now relates to His coming again. The conclusion is in-

escapable that Jesus regards His second advent as the day of

the Lord for the whole world. But He does not say that the

day of His coming will be black or sunless, as some of the

prophets described the day of the Lord, but that a sunless day

will precede His coming. Thus that which was used in the Old

Testament as a description of the day of the Lord itself is in

the New Testament used as a sign preceding the day of the

Lord to indicate that it is approaching. As the day of the Lord

was the moment of defeat of a city or nation, so the coming

day of the Lord is the day of defeat and surrender of those

in the world who have rebelled against God.

The Old Testament signs in the stars are stated only as

nonvisibility. This clearly relates to the darkness of the day of

the Lord and not to the falling of the stars. The meteoric

shower is a prophecy of Jesus and John (Rev. 6:12, 13) that

has no Old Testament precedent, but by its close textual con-

nection with the dark day has precisely the same meaning.

The dark day and the falling stars declared dramatically and

nonverbally the same awesome message that Zephaniah enun-

ciated concerning Judah. "The great day of the Lord is near,

it is near, and hasteth greatly." Zeph. 1:14, first part. That

message was fulfilled within the lifetime of men who heard

it. More time than that has passed since 1780 and 1833, but

then it is a much more awesome event toward which they point

than the captivity of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar.

to- What did Jesus say would be the reaction of earth's

population to the events in connection with His coming?

Matt. 24:30.

THINK IT THROUGH



What significance do you see in the proximity of 1780

and 1833 to the close of two prophetic periods?

"The world is no more ready to credit

the message for this time than were the

Jews to receive the Saviour's warning

concerning Jerusalem. Come when it

may, the day of God will come un-

awares to the ungodly. When life is

going on in its unvarying round; when

men are absorbed in pleasure, in busi-

ness, in traffic, in money-making; when

religious leaders are magnifying the

world's progress and enlightenment,

and the people are lulled in a false

security—then, as the midnight thief

steals within the unguarded dwelling,

so shall sudden destruction come upon

the careless and ungodly, 'and they

shall not escape.' Verse 3."—"The Great

Controversy," page 38.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Prophets and Kings," pages

389-391.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Heavens

LESSON 5

Part 6

THE MODERN

RELEVANCY OF

CELESTIAL SIGNS

Matt. 24:29, 30

❑

Friday

November 3

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall

the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her

light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers

of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear

the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all

the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son

of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and

great glory."

The dark day and the falling stars are the only

single

events

that Jesus stated in His prophecies given in response to the

disciples' question about the temple. He mentions recurring

events that really are conditions existing in the world through

the Christian dispensation. The celestial signs stand out as the

great, clear-cut, specified events that announce the "season" of

His return.

Some persons question the relevancy of these celestial signs

to them because the signs did not occur in their lifetime, or in

many instances neither in their lifetime nor in the part of the

world in which they live. The question this raises is, Do the

dark day and the falling stars have meaning only for those who

saw them?

II. For whom was the Passover to have meaning? Ex.

12:25-27. Is the same principle applicable to the cross?

The great events of the plan of salvation have always had

meaning to those who knew about them and not merely to

those who lived in the time and place that they occurred. It

is our knowledge of the dark day and falling stars, made clear

and distinct by the Holy Spirit, that can make relevant to the

present day that which happened many years ago or in a dis-

tant part of the world.

We live after the signs of darkness and meterorites, and not

before them. That can be no more irrelevant to the Christian

than that he lives in

A.D.

time and not s.c.



THINK IT THROUGH



How is faith



in Jesus Christ related to the question of

relevancy of the celestial signs?



"Where is our faith in the word of



great day of the Lord is near at hand,



God? Must we see things foretold come



'even at the doors.' Let us read and



to pass before we will believe what He



understand before it is too late."—



has said? In clear, distinct rays light



"Testimonies," Vol. 9, p. 20.

has come to us, showing us that the

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 9, pp. 26, 27.

LESSON 6

November 5-11

SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING: IN THE EARTH

"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new

earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look

for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot,

and blameless." 2 Peter 3:13, 14.

"Everything in the world is in agitation.

The signs of the times are ominous. Com-

ing events cast their shadows before. The

Spirit of God is withdrawing from the

earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea

and by land. There are tempests, earth-

quakes, fires, floods, murders of every

grade. Who can read the future? Where

is security? There is assurance in nothing

that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men

ranging themselves under the banner they

have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting

and watching the movements of their lead-

ers. There are those who are waiting and

watching and working for our Lord's ap-

pearing. Another class are falling into line

under the generalship of the first great

apostate. Few believe with heart and soul

that we have a hell to shun and a heaven

to win. . . .

"Solemnly there come to us down through

the centuries the warning words of our

Lord from the Mount of Olives: . . .

`Watch ye therefore, and pray always.'

"—

The Desire of Ages,

page 636.

LESSON OUTLINE

A World in Apprehension

Luke 21:25, 26

Rising Tide of Anger

Matt. 24:6-8

A World of Scoffers

2 Peter 3:3, 4

Economic Injustice

James 5:1-4

Social World

2 Tim. 3:1-5

Preparation for the Advent

2 Peter 3:11, 12

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Earth

LESSON 6

Part 1

A WORLD IN

APPREHENSION

Luke 21:25, 26

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Sunday

November 5

Be- What two conditions did Jesus say would exist among

men before His coming?

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon,

and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,

with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's

hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those

things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of

heaven shall be shaken."

"The Greek implies that the 'perplexity' is due to 'the sea

and the waves roaring.' ...

"The sea. Christ here associates manifestations of the de-

structive forces of nature with signs in the heavens immediately

preceding His return to earth in power and glory.

"Men's hearts. Literally, 'men expiring from fear,' or 'men

fainting from fear.' The latter part of the verse gives as the

climactic reason for men's hearts failing them for fear, the shak-

ing of 'the powers of heaven.' The scene here depicted takes

place under the seventh plague (EW 41; GC 636). Upon this

scene 'the wicked look with terror and amazement' . . . , call-

ing for the mountains and the rocks to fall upon them."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

on Luke 21:25, 26.

While the complete fulfillment of these prophecies comes

in connection with the final deliverance of God's people, Ellen

G. White, in the following quotation, indicates that these

prophecies had begun to be fulfilled as long as seventy-two

years ago:

"The nations are in unrest. Times of perplexity are upon us.

The waves of the sea are roaring; men's hearts are failing them

for fear and for expectation of those things that are coming

upon the earth; but those who believe on the Son of God will

hear His voice amid the storm, saying, 'It is I; be not afraid.'"

—Evangelism,

page 18.

What can prevent perplexity and fear in the life of

the Christian? Be specific and basic.

"There are troublous times before

us; the judgments of God are coming

upon our world. The nations of the

earth are to tremble. There will be

trials and perplexities on every hand;

men's hearts will fail them for fear.

And what shall we do in that day?

Though the earth shall reel to and fro

like a drunkard, and be removed like

a cottage, if we have made God our

trust, He will deliver us. . . .

"Christ

sees the termination of the

conflict. The battle is waging more and

more fiercely. Soon He will come whose

right it is, and will take possession of

all earthly things. All the confusion in

our world, all the violence and crime,

are a fulfilment of the words of Christ.

They are the signs of the nearness of

His coming."—Ellen G. White, "Sons

and Daughters of God," page 354.

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Testimonies," Vol.

pp. 49, 50.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Earth

LESSON 6



❑

Monday

November 6

Part 2 Es- What did Jesus call the wars and catastrophes that

RISING TIDE would take place before His return?

OF ANGER

Matt. 24:6-8

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see

that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come

to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise

against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there

shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in

divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

"Amid national strife and ruin, the steps of the disciples

would be beset with perils, and often their hearts would be

oppressed by fear. They were to see Jerusalem a desolation. . . .

[Matthew 24:6-8 quoted in part.] Yet Christ's followers were

not to fear that their hope was lost or that God had forsaken

the

earth."—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing,

page 120.

I> What was the state of the nations as John saw them?

Rev. 11:18. What period of history is the context?

"We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn

events. Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange and eventful history is

being recorded in the books of heaven—events which it was

declared should shortly precede the great day of God. Every-

thing in the world is in an unsettled state. The nations are

angry, and great preparations for war are being made. Nation

is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The

great day of God is hasting

greatly."—Selected Messages,

Bk. 1, p. 221.

Ps- What events are in the news today (November 6,

1972) that you recognize as a fulfillment of Jesus' prophe-

cies?

THINK IT THROUGH



If war and calamities are only the beginning of sor-

row, what is the sorrow itself?

"The ruin of Jerusalem was a symbol

of the final ruin that shall overwhelm

the world. The prophecies that received

a partial fulfillment in the overthrow of

Jerusalem have a more direct applica-

tion to the last days. We are now stand-

ing on the threshold of great and

solemn events. A crisis is before us,

such as the world has never witnessed.

And sweetly to us, as to the first dis-

ciples, comes the assurance that God's

kingdom ruleth over all. The program

of coming events is in the hands of our

Maker. The Majesty of heaven has the

destiny of nations, as well as the con-

cerns of His church, in His own charge."

—"Thoughts From the Mount of Bless-

ing," pages 120, 121.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Selected Messages," Bk. 1, pp. 221-225.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Earth

LESSON 6

Part 3

A WORLD OF

SCOFFERS

2 Peter 3:3, 4

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Tuesday

November 7

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last

days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying,

Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers

fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the

beginning of the creation."

"There shall come—scoffers]

Persons who shall endeavor to

turn all religion into ridicule, as this is the most likely way to

depreciate truth in the sight of the giddy multitude. The

scoffers, having no solid argument to produce against revela-

tion, . . . affect to laugh at it, and get superficial thinkers to

laugh with them.

"Walking after their own lusts]

Here is the true

source

all infidelity. The Gospel of Jesus is

pure

and

holy,

and requires

holy heart

and

holy life.

They wish to follow their own

lusts,

and consequently cannot brook the restraints of the Gospel:

therefore they labour to prove that it is not true."—Clarke's

Commentary,

on 2 Peter

3:3.

Pi- What question did Jesus ask concerning the last days?

Luke 18:8.

"Human reasoning and the imaginings of the human heart

are undermining the inspiration of the Word of God, and that

which should be received as granted, is surrounded with a cloud

of mysticism. Nothing stands out in clear and distinct lines,

upon rock bottom. This is one of the marked signs of the last

days."—Selected Messages,

Bk.

1, p. 15.

What can prevent me from being a scoffer? Be spe-

cific.

"To those who have united them-

selves to Him, He declares: 'Though a

mother may forget her child, "yet will

not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven

thee upon the palms of My hands."

Thou art continually before Me.'

"Oh, what amazing privileges are

proffered us!

"Will we put forth most earnest ef-

forts to form this alliance with Christ,

through which alone these blessings

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Patriarchs and Prophets," pages 102-104.

are attained? Will we break off our

sins by righteousness and our iniquities

by turning unto the Lord? Skepticism

and infidelity are widespread. Christ

asked the question: 'When the Son of

man cometh, shall He find faith on the

earth?' We must cherish a living, active

faith. The permanence of our faith is

the condition of our union."—"Testi-

monies," Vol. 5, pp. 230, 231.

Part 4

ECONOMIC

INJUSTICE

James 5:1-4

❑

Wednesday

November 8

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep

and

howl for your

miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are cor-

rupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold

and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a

witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were

fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down

your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth:

and the cries of them which have reaped are entered

into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth."

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Earth

LESSON 6

"For the last days. Or,

'in the last days.' . . . The statements

of our Lord concerning the accumulation of riches . . . reveal

that the condition described in James 5:1-6 prevailed in NT

times. . . . Greed has always led to oppression, and always will.

But as with the violence and injustice of which Paul speaks in

2 Tim. 3:1-5 . . . , greed and oppression are to reach a climax

in the days immediately preceding the 'coming of the Lord.'

"—

SDA Bible Commentary,

on James 5:3.

170-

In spite of manifest injustices, what advice did James

give his fellow believers? James 5:7.

"And he brings forth fruit 'with patience.' None who receive

God's word are exempt from difficulty and trial; but when

affliction comes, the true Christian does not become restless,

distrustful, or despondent. Though we can not see the definite

outcome of affairs, or discern the purpose of God's providences,

we are not to cast away our confidence. Remembering the tender

mercies of the Lord, we should cast our care upon Him, and

with patience wait for His salvation."—Christ's

Object Lessons,

pages 60, 61.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the Christian remedy for injustice?

"Love of money and love of display

have made this world as a den of

thieves and robbers. The Scriptures pic-

ture the greed and oppression that will

prevail just before Christ's second com-

ing. [James 5:1, 3-6 quoted.]

"Even among those who profess to

be walking in the fear of the Lord,

there are some who are acting over

again the course pursued by the nobles

of Israel. Because it is in their power to

do so, they exact more than is just, and

thus become oppressors. . . .

"Every unjust act toward a fellow

being is a violation of the golden rule.

Every wrong done to the children of

God is done to Christ Himself in the

person of His saints. Every attempt to

take advantage of the ignorance, weak-

ness, or misfortune of another is reg-

istered as fraud in the ledger of

heaven. He who truly fears God, would

rather toil day and night, and eat the

bread of poverty, than to indulge the

passion for gain that oppresses the

widow and fatherless or turns the stran-

ger from his right."—"Prophets and

Kings," pages 651, 652.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 1, pp. 174-176.

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Earth

LESSON 6

Part 5

SOCIAL WORLD

2 Tim. 3:1-5

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Thursday

November

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times

shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,

covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to

parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,

trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers

of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded,

lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a

form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from

such turn away."

Ellen G. White points out that the individuals described here

are not worldlings who make no profession of religion. Rather

they are the professing Christians, whose names are on the

church books. "Their service to God degenerates into a form.

. . . The apostle Paul points out that this will be the special

characteristic of those who live just before Christ's second

coming....

"This is the class that in time of peril are found crying,

Peace and safety. They lull their hearts into security, and

dream not of

danger."—Christ's Object Lessons,

page 411.

How did Paul indicate that moral conditions would

deteriorate as the end of time approaches? 2 Tim. 3:13.

"In the night season I seemed to be enumerating in my mind

the evidences we have to substantiate the faith we hold. We

se:: that seducers are waxing worse and worse. We see the world

working to the point of establishing by law a false sabbath, and

making it a test for all. This question will soon be before us.

. . . The working out of Satan's plans will bring persecution to

the people of God. But the faithful servants of God need not

fear the outcome of the conflict. If they will follow the pattern

set for them in the life of Christ, if they will be true to the

requirements of God, their reward will be eternal life, a life

that measures with the life of

God."—Selected Messages,

Bk. 2,

p. 375.

Which of the last-day characteristics mentioned by

Paul are in my life? How can I conquer them?

"I have seen that there is danger that

even the professed children of God will

be corrupted. Licentiousness is binding

men and women as captives. They

seem to be infatuated and powerless

to resist and overcome upon the point

of appetite and passion. In God there

is power; in Him there is strength. If

they will take hold upon it, the life-

giving power of Jesus will stimulate

everyone who has named the name of

Christ. Dangers and perils surround us;

and we are only safe when we feel our

weakness and cling with the grasp of

faith to our mighty Deliverer. It is a

fearful time in which we live. We

cannot cease watchfulness and prayer

for a moment. Our helpless souls

m st

rely on Jesus, our compassionate Re-

deemer."—"Testimonies," Vol. 3, p. 473.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Acts of the Apostles," pages 502-506.

Part 6

PREPARATION

FOR THE ADVENT

2 Peter 3:11, 12

❑

Friday

November 10

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,

what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy con-

versation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto

the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being

on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt

with fervent heat?"

Signs of Christ's Coming: In the Earth

LESSON 6

"The dissolution of

all these things

being certain, the urgent

consideration becomes,

What sort of persons ought you to be

in lives of holiness and godliness?

The answer to the question

is implied in the terms in which it is asked. The certain dis-

solution of all these things requires men to live lives of holiness

and godliness. Because scoffers assume the permanence of things

as they are, they do not

wait for new heavens and a new earth.

The temporal and transient occupy their attention. But holiness

and godliness belong to the eternal order. Like 'faith, hope,

love' . . . , they abide when

the elements . . . melt with fire."

—The Interpreter's Bible,

on 2 Peter 3:11-13, Vol. 12, p. 202.

The things of earth will be dissolved in the day of judg-

ment. All that man has made will be swept away—the lofty

skyscrapers, towering dams, broad highways, mighty ships, vast

cities—all will vanish. The only thing that will survive is the

character of the child of God. In view of this fact, Peter, Paul,

and other writers of the New Testament urge us to put first

things first. We must give attention to developing a character

which will stand in the judgment, one that, when weighed in

the balance, will not be found wanting.

What will be the condition of the children of God

when He appears? 1 John 3:2.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the factor in life that will make me ready for

the judgment?

"The most exalted of the redeemed

host that stand before the throne of

God and the Lamb, clad in white, know

the conflict of overcoming, for they

have come up through great tribula-

tion. Those who have yielded to cir-

cumstances rather than engage in this

conflict will not know how to stand in

that day when anguish will be upon

every soul, when, though Noah, Job,

and Daniel were in the land, they could

save neither son nor daughter, for ev-

eryone must deliver his soul by his

own righteousness.

"No one need say that his case is

hopeless, that he cannot live the life

of a Christian. Ample provision is made

by the death of Christ for every soul.

Jesus is our ever-present help in time

of need. Only call upon Him in faith,

and He has promised to hear and an-

swer your petitions.

"Oh, for a living, active faith! We

need it; we must have it, or we shall

faint and fail in the day of trial."—

"Testimonies," Vol. 5, p. 215.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol.

, pp. 727-729.

LESSON 7

November 12-18

THE NATURE OF THE SIGNS

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of

man cometh." Matt. 24:44.

In the record of Matthew 24:4-31 Jesus

has answered the disciples' question about

signs by clearly stating events that would

take place between that moment and the

second advent, and the destruction of Jeru-

salem also. But He was not content merely

to state the signs. He also taught the dis-

ciples how to interpret the signs. They

must know how to apply the signs in the

actual situation. They must have not only

the general knowledge that there would be

such-and-such signs, but also the specific

knowledge of what the signs did or did not

mean. He taught them how to relate to the

signs by telling them the parables and illus-

trations recorded in Matthew 24 and 25—

the fig tree, Noah's day, two at work, the

thief at night, the two servants, the ten

girls, the talents, and the judgment scene.

In the lessons for the next four weeks

we will study the teaching of these parables

and illustrations about the signs of the sec-

ond advent, which is the context in which

Jesus gave them.

This week primary attention will be given

to Matt. 24:32-44. In this passage Jesus

taught what the signs can and cannot do,

and how believers should therefore react

to the signs.

LESSON OUTLINE

Purpose

Matt. 24:32-34

Certainty

Verse 35

Limitation: Unknown Day

Verses 36-39

Watching Required

Verses 40-42

Limitation: Unexpected Hour

Verse 43

Readiness Required

Verse 44

The Nature of the Signs

LESSON 7



❑

Sunday

November I2

Part 1

►

What do the leaves mean in the parable of the fig

PURPOSE tree? The summer?

Matt. 24:32, 33

"Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch

is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that

summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all

these things,

know

that it is near, even at the doors."

►

What is the purpose of the signs as revealed by this

parable?

"Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we

may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of

those who see these signs, 'This generation shall not pass, till

all these things be fulfilled.' These signs have appeared. Now

we know of a surety 'that the Lord's coming is at hand."—The

Desire of Ages,

page 632.

"The angels of God in their messages to men represent time

as very short. Thus it has always been presented to me. It is

'true that time has continued longer than we expected in the

early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear as soon

as we hoped. But has the word of the Lord failed? Never! It

should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of

God arc alike conditional."—Selected

Messages,

Bk. 1, p. 67.

►

How did Jesus add meaning to the word "near"?

Matt. 24:34.

This prophecy was fulfilled in relation to the destruction of

Jerusalem. The city was destroyed in the lifetime of those who

saw the signs. Interpretation becomes a problem when we seek

the meaning of verse 34 in connection with the second advent.

The signs have stretched out over several lifetimes. One explana-

tion that some hold to be tenable emphasizes the conditional

nature of God's promises and threatenings as noted above.

THINK IT THROUGH



How can I maintain a constant consciousness of the

nearness of Jesus' return?

"We have reached the period fore-

told in these scriptures [Luke 21:31, 34,

36]. The time of the end is come, the

visions of the prophets are unsealed,

and their solemn warnings point us to

our Lord's coming in glory as near at

hand."—"The Desire of Ages," page

235.

"Let no one's interpretation of proph-

ecy rob you of the conviction of the

knowledge of events which show that

this great event is near at hand."—

"Fundamentals of Christian Education,"

page 336.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 8, pp. 252-254.

The Nature of the Signs

LESSON 7



❑

Monday

November 13

Part 2

►

How certain are Christ's words about the signs and

CERTAINTY the second advent?

Matt. 24:35

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words

shall not pass away."

"The prophecies which the great I AM has given in His

word, uniting link after link in the chain of events, from eter-

nity in the past to eternity in the future, tell us where we are

today in the procession of the ages and what may be expected

in the time to come. All that prophecy has foretold as coming

to pass, until the present time, has been traced on the pages of

history, and we may be assured that all which is yet to come

will be fulfilled in its

order."—Prophets and Kings,

page 536.

"It [the coming of the Lord] will not tarry past the time

that the message is borne to all nations, tongues, and peoples.

Shall we who claim to be students of prophecy forget that

God's forbearance to the wicked is a part of the vast and merci-

ful plan by which he is seeking to compass the salvation of

souls?"—Evangelism,

page 697.

►

What expression of the certainty of the advent does

Paul give? Heb. 10:36, 37.

"The lapse of time has brought great changes. Light has

increased and has become widespread. While the people who

are anxious for truth have been calling, 'Watchman, what of

the night?' the answer has been given intelligently, 'The morn-

ing cometh, and also the night.' By a thorough investigation

of the prophecies we understand where we are in this world's

history; and we know for a certainty that the second coming

of Christ is

near."—Testimonies,

Vol. 4, p. 592.

THINK IT THROUGH



How certain am I in my belief that Jesus is coming

soon?

"My dear brethren and sisters, let

the commandments of God and the

testimony of Jesus Christ be in your

minds continually and let them crowd

out worldly thoughts and cares. When

you lie down and when you rise up, let

them be your meditation. Live and act

wholly in reference to the coming of

the Son of man. The sealing time is

very short, and will soon be over. Now

is the time, while the four angels are

holding the four winds, to make our

calling and election sure."—"Early writ-

ings," page 58.

"The return of Christ to our world

will not be long delayed. Let this be

the keynote of every message."—"Testi-

monies," Vol. 6, p. 406.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 6, pp.

404, 405.

4—A4QT.72

The Nature of the Signs

LESSON 7

Part 3

LIMITATION:

UNKNOWN DAY

Matt. 24:36-39

❑

Tuesday

November 14

110- In what way are the time of Noah and the second

advent alike?

"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not

the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days

of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man

be.

For as in the days that were before the flood they

were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in mar•

riage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and

knew not until the flood came, and took them all away;

so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."

The purpose of the signs which Jesus gave was to reveal the

approach of the second advent, but the precise time of Hie

appearance was to remain unknown. As the time of arrival of

the Flood was unknown to the antedeluvians, so no one know;

the day and hour of the second advent. "Again and again have

I been warned in regard to time-setting. There will never again

be a message for the people of God that will be based on time

We are not to know the definite time either for the outpouring

of the Holy Spirit or for the coming of Christ."—Ellen G

White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 6, p. 1052.

P. What response did Jesus give to the disciples' ques•

tion about establishment of-the kingdom? Acts 1:6, 7.

"It was not necessary for them to see farther into the future

than the revelations He had made enabled them to see. Theis

work was to proclaim the gospel message."—The

Acts of the

Apostles,

page 30.

THINK IT THROUGH



What are some reasons that God has not revealec

the exact time of the second advent?

"A great work must be done all

through the world, and let no one con-

clude that, because the end is near,

there is no need of special effort to

build up the various institutions as the

cause shall demand. You are not to

know the day or the hour of the Lord's

appearing, for this has not been re-

vealed, and let none speculate on that

which has not been given him to un-

derstand. Let everyone work upon that

which has been placed in his hands,

doing the daily duties that God re-

quires.

"When the Lord shall bid us make nc

further effort to build meetinghouse

and establish schools, sanitariums, anc

publishing institutions, it will be time

for us to fold our hands and let the

Lord close up the work

;

but now is oui

opportunity to show our zeal for Goc

and our love for humanity. . . .

"The end is near, and for this reasor

we are to make the most of every en•

trusted ability and every agency thai

shall offer help to the work."—"Testi•

monies," Vol. 6, p. 440.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Selected Messages," Bk. 1, pp. 188, 189, 191,

192.

Part 4

WATCHING

REQUIRED

Matt. 24:40-42

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Wednesday

November 15

II.

Because the hour of the advent is unknown, what

counsel does Jesus give?

"Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,

and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the

mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch

therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth

come."

Jesus continues the thought of men not knowing the time

of the advent in the two brief illustrations of two persons work-

ing together, and also introduces the idea of a judgment—one

taken and one left.

In the absence of knowledge about the time of an important

event, the logical course is to watch for it. When an important

personage travels in a motorcade through a city, the precise

time of the arrival of the motorcade at any point is unknown.

People line the route and watch for the arrival of the important

personage. To go shopping and fail to watch is to miss the

parade.

"Jesus has told His disciples to 'watch,' but not for a

definite time. His followers are to be in the position of those

who are listening for the orders of their Captain; they are

to watch, wait, pray, and work, as they approach the time for

the coming of the Lord; but no one will be able to predict just

when that time will come; for 'of that day and hour knoweth

no man.' You will not be able to say that He will come in one,

two, or five years, neither are you to put off His coming by

stating that it may not be for ten or twenty

years."—Evan-

gelism,

page 221.

116.- With what does Jesus contrast watching? Mark 13:35,

36.

"The attitude of watching is to designate the church as

God's people indeed. By this sign the waiting ones are dis-

tinguished from the world and show that they are pilgrims

and strangers upon the

earth."—Testimonies,

Vol.

p. 205.

What is the

meaning

of wate.hinsi .

awaiting the advent?

The Nature of the Signs

LESSON 7

"We are today to watch that we

offend not in word or deed. We must

today praise and honor God. By the

exercise of living faith today we are

to conquer the enemy. We must today

seek God and be determined that we

will not rest satisfied without His pres-

ence. We should watch and work and

pray as though this were the last day

tRCt would be granted us. How in-

tensely earnest, then, would be our

life. How closely would we follow Jesus

in all our words and deeds."—"Testi-

monies," Vol. 5, p. 200.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 2, pp. 190-193.

Part 5

LIMITATION:

UNEXPECTED HOUR

Matt. 24:43

❑

Thursday

November 16

la- Under what circumstances would the householder

have watched for the thief?

The Nature of the Signs

LESSON 7

"But know this, that if the goodman of the house had

known in what watch the thief would come, he would

have watched, and would not have suffered his house

to be broken up."

The householder had no information that a thief was com-

ing, and one doesn't stay awake at night watching for a thief

he doesn't expect. But Jesus had said (verse

33)

that it could

be known that He was coming and when He was near. The

lesson is by contrast. If the householder had as much informa-

tion about the thief as the believer has about Christ's advent,

he would have watched. It is prudent for the believer to watch.

to- Who does Paul say will be taken by surprise when

the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night? Who

will not be surprised? 1 Thess. 5:2-6.

"The solemn fact is to be kept not only before the people

of the world, but before our own churches also, that the day

of the Lord will come suddenly, unexpectedly. The fearful

warning of the prophecy is addressed to every soul. Let no

one feel that he is secure from the danger of being surprised.

Let no one's interpretation of prophecy rob you of the convic-

tion of the knowledge of events which show that this great

event is near at hand.

"—Fundamentals of Christian Education,

page

336.

THINK IT THROUGH



How can I avoid surprise by either the close of pro-

bation or the actual appearing of Jesus?



"When the work of the investigative



be in that hour the Judge of all the



judgment closes, the destiny of all will



earth will pronounce the sentence,



have been decided for life or death.



'Thou art weighed in the balance, and



Probation is ended a short time before



art found wanting.'



the appearing of the Lord in the clouds



"Silently, unnoticed as the midnight



of heaven. . . . Perilous is the condi-



thief, will come the decisive hour which

tion of those who, growing weary of marks the fixing of every man's des-



their watch, turn to the attractions of



tiny, the final withdrawal of mercy's



the world. While the man of business



offer to guilty men. 'Watch ye there-



is absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while



fore . . . lest coming suddenly he find



the pleasure-lover is seeking indul-



you sleeping.'"—Ellen G. White, "Sons



gence, while the daughter of fashion



and Daughters of God," page 355.

is arranging her adornments,—it may

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 489-491.

Part 6

READINESS

REQUIRED

Matt. 24:44

111

Friday

November 17

►

What conclusion did Jesus draw from the story of the

householder?

"Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as

ye think not the Son of man cometh."

"I ask you, Is the kingdom of God within you? God's

people are to be minutemen, always ready, always composed

in Jesus Christ. The time is now come when one moment we

may be on solid earth, the next the earth may be heaving

beneath our feet. Earthquakes will take place where least

expected....

"Christianity—oh, that we might experience its operations!

It is a vital, personal experience, that elevates and ennobles the

whole man. Every man is responsible to God, who has made

provision for all to receive this blessing. But many do not

receive it, although Christ has purchased it for them at infinite

cost."—Testimonies to Ministers,

pages 421, 422.•

The signs show that advent near, but since the day is un-

known and the hour will be unexpected, Jesus says that watch-

ing and readiness are essential. The signs were all that the dis-

ciples requested, but Jesus taught that there must be a personal

watchfulness and readiness for the advent.

The Nature of the Signs

LESSON 7

- What is the readiness required to meet Jesus at the

advent? Matt.

22:1 1 .

"It is impossible for man to save himself. He may deceive

himself in regard to this matter, but he cannot save himself.

Christ's righteousness alone can avail for his salvation, and this

is the gift of God. This is the wedding garment in which you

may appear as a welcome guest at the marriage' Supper of the

Lamb. Let faith take hold of Christ without delay, and you will

be a new creature in Jesus, a light to the

world."—Selected

Messages,

Bk. 1, p. 331.

THINK IT THROUGH



How can I receive the righteousness of Christ?

"In order to be candidates for



the Holy Spirit carries on the work, and

heaven we must meet the require-

ment of the law: 'Thou shalt love the

Lord thy God with all thy heart, and

with all thy soul, and with all thy

strength, and with all thy mind; and

thy neighbour as thyself' (Luke 10:27).

We can do this only as we grasp by

faith the righteousness of Christ. By

beholding Jesus we receive a living,

expanding principle in the heart, and

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Testimonies," Vol. 1, pp. 123-126.

the believer advances

advances from grace to

grace, from strength to strength, from

character to character. He conforms to

the image of Christ, until in spiritual

growth he attains unto the met

iii5T:e

—

ibe full stature in Christ Jesus. Thus

Christ makes an end of the curse of sin,

and sets the believing soul free from

its action and effect."—"Selected Mes-

sages," Bk. 1, p. 395.

LESSON 8

November 19-25

READY OR NOT READY?

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready

went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut." Matt. 25:10.

Jesus told the parable of the ten virgins

in a sequence of teaching that began with

the signs of His coming in Matthew 24.

He stated there that the signs would indi-

cate that His coming was near, but the day

and hour would remain unknown. Because

the precise time of His coming would be

unknown, it would be necessary for be-

lievers to watch and be ready for His ad-

vent. He only stated that these were to be

the characteristics of those who would be

waiting, in the time of the signs, for the

advent; but in chapter 24 He did not ex-

plain what it means to watch and be

ready.

In the parable of the virgins Jesus dealt

with the latter idea first—what it means

to be ready. This parable was told espe-

cially for us who live in the time of the

signs but do not know the date of the

advent.

The story through which Jesus teaches

about being ready for His return is the

story of a wedding.

"A wedding party was one of the great-

est of all festivities in a Palestinian village.

The bride, groom, and 'guests were dis-

pensed from certain religious duties, such

as sleeping in booths at the feast of Taber-

nacles. Scholars forsook the study of the

Torah, because attending a wedding was

a more important duty and privilege."—

The Interpreter's Bible,

Vol. 7, p. 555.

A wedding is a happy, joyous occasion.

In relating the parable of the ten virgins,

or bridesmaids, Jesus used the wedding as

a symbol of His coming kingdom. He thus

taught that Christians are to face His com-

ing with the same gladness with which the

bride's friends look forward to her wed-

ding.

An article by Ellen G. White,

"Have You Oil in Your Vessels With

Your Lamps?" appears on pages 63-

65 of this quarterly. It was origi-

nally published in the

Review and

Herald

and is reprinted here for

reading in conjunction with this

week's lesson.

LESSON OUTLINE

Central Teaching

Matt. 25:1-4

The Oil

Zech. 4:2, 3, 6

Oil in Lamps

Matt. 25:1; Ps. 119:105

Oil and Crisis

Matt. 25:5-9

Oil and Acceptance or Rejection

Matt. 25:10-12

Have You Oil in Your Vessels

With Your Lamps?

Matt. 25:13

leady or Not Ready?

LESSON 8



❑

Sunday

November

Part 1



"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto

CENTRAL ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to

TEACHING meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and

Matt. 25:1-4 five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps,

and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their

vessels with their lamps."

►

Whom do the ten virgins and the bridegroom repre-

sent? To answer this question note the circumstances of

these persons in Matt. 25:1, 6 and then find these same

circumstances in Matthew 24 and note what persons are

mentioned in relation to them.

la- What is the key feature of this parable? Matt. 25: 3, 4.

While all of the persons, articles, and circumstances in the

parable are essential to its understanding, the central feature is

the oil. The main thrust of teaching in the parable derives from

the circumstance of having or not having oil. To have oil is

wise; to lack oil is foolish. To have oil results in reception into

the wedding; to lack oil results in rejection by the master of

the feast. To have oil is to be ready; to lack oil is to be

unready. It follows then that the key question of interpreta-

tion of the parable is, "What does the oil mean?" To this

question we will direct our study tomorrow.

During this week we shall study this central core of truth—

the relation between what the oil represents and readiness for

the advent. This was the main thought which Jesus presented.

There are valuable secondary ideas in the parable, but these

will not be the content of this week's lesson.

THINK IT THROUGH



Read Matt. 25:1-12 several times, learn the details of

the parable, and reflect on it

in the light of Matthew 24.

"As Christ sat looking upon the party

that waited for the bridegroom, He told

His disciples the story of the ten vir-

gins, by their experience illustrating

the experience of the church that shall

live just before His second coming."

—"Christ's Object Lessons," page 406.

"When the ten virgins went forth to

meet the bridegroom, their lamps were

trimmed and burning. Apparently there

was

difference between the five who

were wise and the five who were fool-

ish. To outward appearance all were

prepared, robed in white, and carry-

ing their lighted lamps. But only five

of these virgins were wise. These an-

ticipated delay, and filled their flagons

with oil, ready for any emergency. Five

of the number had not this foresight;

they made no provision for disappoint-

ment or delay."—Ellen G. White, "Re-

view and Herald," Oct. 31, 1899.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 405, 406.

Ready or Not Ready?

LESSON 8



❑

Monday

November 20

Part 2

THE OIL

Zech. 4:2, 3, 6

"And [he] said unto me, What seest thou? And I said,

I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with

a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon,

and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the

top thereof: and two olive trees by it, one upon the right

side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof."

"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is

the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by

might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of

hosts."

When Zechariah inquired the meaning of the vision of

lamps fed with oil from olive trees, he was given the straight-

forward message that Zerubbabel, leader of Judah, would suc-

ceed by God's Spirit.

In the Israelite sanctuary service a special anointing oil was

used for consecration of the tabernacle, furniture, and priests.

Everything touched by this oil was symbolically holy. See

Ex. 30:25-30. It is the Holy Spirit that makes men and places

holy.

The oil in the parable is "the informing Spirit of God which

prompts the works and quickens the faith, of which Spirit oil

is ever in Scripture the standing symbol."—Trench,

Notes on

the Parables of Our Lord,

page 197.

"The oil is a symbol of • the Holy

Spirit."—Christ's Object

Lessons,

page 407.

Bow

Another approach to interpreting the meaning of oil

is to ask, What is there that holds a central place in

Christian living equal to the place held by oil in the

experience of the ten virgins? Rom. 8:14-17.



THINK IT THROUGH



What is the



role of the Spirit in the Christian life?

Since the oil is the Spirit, and the parable is for those

awaiting the advent, what is the implication for me?



"I am instructed to say to many pro-



ence of the love of God in the soul.

fessed believers, Unless you look upon When men and women give themselves



your religious experience in an alto-



unreservedly to the exercise of unsel-



gether different light than you have,



fish works, it is because the grace of



you are going to meet with keen dis-



Christ is in the heart, molding the life



appointment. The righteousness of



to his example. But if the heart is des-



Christ is revealed from faith to faith;



titute of the Spirit of God, if it does



that is, from your present faith to an



not possess the rich grace of God, there



increased understanding of that faith



is no oil in the vessel with the lamp,



which works by love and purifies the



there is no treasure

the earthen



soul. Those who endure trial for the



vessel."—Ellen G. White, "Review and



truth's sake, who make sacrifies to help



Herald," Sept. 17, 1908.

those in need, do so because of the pres-

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 407, 408.

Ready or Not Ready?

LESSON 8



❑

Tuesday

November 21



Part 3



"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto

OIL IN LAMPS ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to

Matt. 25:1; meet the bridegroom."



Ps. 119:105



"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto

my path."

This word of God represented by the lamp is related to the

Bible, but it has a more specific meaning. The oil is in the

lamp. The oil is God's Spirit. The Spirit is not in inanimate

things, such as books, but abides in people. "Through the Holy

Spirit, God's word is a light as it becomes a transforming

power in the life of the receiver."—Christ's

Object Lessons,

page 414. The only way the Scriptures become a lighted lamp

is for the Christian to receive their teachings by the Holy

Spirit's aid and by the help of the same Spirit live the Word's

principles in the daily life.

►

By what means does the believer understand the truth

God has revealed? 1 Cor. 2:12.

"The more closely we adhere to the simplicity of truth, the

more surely do we comprehend its deep meaning. Then if the

heart is under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, it can say,

`The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understand-

ing to the simple' (Ps. 119:130). This means the word is inter-

preted by the Holy Spirit, not merely as perused by the student.

"It is not the mere letter of the words which gives the light

and the understanding, but the Word is in a special manner

written upon the heart, applied by the Holy Spirit."—Ellen

G. White,

In Heavenly Places,

page 139.

►

What is the meaning of an unlighted lamp?



THINK IT THROUGH



How can I receive a "supply" of the Holy Spirit which

is adequate to maintain the light of the Word in my life?

"Without the Spirit of God a knowl-

edge of His word is_of no avail. The

theory of

truth, unaccompanied by the

Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or

sanctify the heart. One may be famil-

iar with the commands and promises of

the Bible; but unless the Spirit of God

sets the truth home, the character will

not be transformed. Without the en-

lightenment of the Spirit, men will not

be able to distinguish truth from error,

and they will fall under the masterful

temptations of Satan."—"Christ's Ob-

ject Lessons," pages 408, 411.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Selected Messages," Bk. 1, p. 411; Bk. 2, p. 39.

Ready or Not Ready?

LESSON 8

Part 4

OIL AND CRISIS

Matt. 25:5-9

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Wednesday

November 22

"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and

slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold,

the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all

those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the

foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our

lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not

so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye

rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves."

All ten girls started out with lighted lamps—that is, a life

apparently in harmony with the Bible and led by the Spirit.

Outwardly the same, they were inwardly dissimilar.

The difference was in the quantity of oil that each group

had, that is, the extent to which each was indwelt by the

Spirit.

It was noted in yesterday's study that the lighted lamp

represented a believer living out the principles of the Bible by

the Spirit's aid. The foolish virgins, then, must represent those

who do not continue to live by the Word and the Spirit, but

have retained the form of religious faith, as evidenced by the

nearly empty lamp.

In the parable the oil could not be obtained quickly enough

to benefit the foolish virgins. Since this is speaking of human

experience with the Spirit, it teaches us that when the Spirit

of God has been neglected He cannot be quickly reaccepted.

Not because the Spirit is unwilling to return, but because

human character becomes set and a person cannot in a moment

change that which a lifetime of neglect has made him. Readi-

ness for the advent must be perpetual—not a last-minute,

frantic search for the grace of God.

Why did the wise virgins not share their supply of oil

with those whose lamps were going out? Answer from

the standpoint of spiritual experience. See Ezek. 14:14.

"Every specification of this parable

should be carefully studied. We are

represented either by the wise or by

the foolish virgins. There are many who

will not remain at_ the_feet of Jesus,

and learn of him. They have not a

knowledge of his ways; they are not

prepared for his coming. They have

made a pretense of waiting for their

Lord. They have not watched and

prayed with that faith which works by

love and purifies the soul. They have

lived a life of carelessness. They have

heard and assented to the truth, but

they have never brought it into their

practical life. The oil of grace is not

feeding their lamps, and they are not

prepared to enter into the marriage

supper of the Lamb. The oil is the holy

grace that is sent from heaven; and

there must be an inward adorning with

that grace, if we would stand when he

appears."—Ellen G. White, "Review and

Herald," Oct. 31, 1899.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 411, 412.

Part 5

OIL AND

ACCEPTANCE

OR REJECTION

Matt. 25:10-12

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Thursday

November 23

"And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;

and they that were ready went in with him to the mar-

riage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the

other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he an-

swered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not."

The five wise virgins went into the wedding because they

had oil in reserve to refill their lamps. The believer will be

ready for the advent because he has permitted the Holy Spirit

to fill him and accomplish a deep and lasting work beyond

that which was necessary to make him appear to men to be

a Christian.

It was because the five foolish virgins lacked oil that they

were not present when the wedding began. This represents

professed believers who, lacking the Holy Spirit, will be ex-

cluded from Christ's kingdom.

Its How shall we receive the Spirit? Gal. 3:2, 5, 14.

"Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit, which is brought into

the soul through faith in Jesus Christ. Those who earnestly

search the Scriptures with much prayer, who rely upon God

with

—

hrm

ra'ffE who obey His commandments,

WillThe among

those who are represented as wise virgins."—Ellen G. White,

Review and Herald,

Sept. 17, 1895.

"Saddest of all words that ever fell on mortal ear are those

words of doom, 'I know you not.' The fellowship of the Spirit

[represented by the oil], which you have slighted, could alone

make you one with the joyous throng at the marriage feast. In

that scene you cannot participate. Its light would fall on

blinded eyes, its melody upon deaf ears. Its love and joy could

awake no chord of gladness in the world-benumbed heart. You

are shut out from heaven by your own unfitness for its com-

panionship."—Christ's

Object Lessons,

page 413..

What is meant by the master of the feast not knowing

the five foolish virgins? In what way does God not know

a person?

Ready or Not Ready?

LESSON 8

be upon us, and the Captain of the

Lord's host will stand at the head of the

angels of heaven to direct the battle."

—Ellen G. White Comments,

"SDA Bi-

ble

Commentary," Vol. 7, p.

982.

"The battle of Armageddon will be

fought, and that day must find none

of us sleeping. Wide awake we must

be, as wise virgins having oil in our

vessels with our lamps. . . .

"The power of the Holy Ghost must

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Testimonies to Ministers," pages

128-131.

Part 6

HAVE YOU OIL

IN YOUR VESSELS

WITH YOUR LAMPS?

Matt. 25:13

❑

Friday

November 24

"Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the

hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

Because the date of the coming of Jesus is unknown,

the believer must be always ready by being filled with

the oil of the Spirit.

Ready or Not Ready?

LESSON 8

►

What is the source of eternal life for the believer?

Gal. 6:8.

"Now is the time to entreat that souls shall not only hear

the word of God, but without delay secure oil in their vessels

with their lamps. That oil is the righteousness of Christ. It

represents character, and character is not transferable. No man

can secure it for another. Each must obtain for himself a char-

acter purified from every stain of

sin."—Testimonies to Minis-

ters,

pages 233, 234.

The oil of the parable has been identified in this week's

lesson in three ways—grace, Spirit, and the righteousness of

Christ. This is not contradictory. It is expressive of three ways

of looking at God's work for man. It is the oil of grace because

the Spirit is undeserved; it is the oil of the Spirit because the

Spirit is the direct means by which salvation is accomplished;

it is the oil of the righteousness of Christ because the Spirit's

presence in man is the reason for imputing, and the means of

imparting, Christ's character to the believer. "The Holy Spirit

in the heart of the believer, makes him complete in Christ."

—Ellen G. White,

Review and Herald,

Sept. 17, 1895.

This parable teaches that it is foolish to neglect to be filled

with the Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ, for it will result in

exclusion from the kingdom; it is wise to have faith in Jesus

Christ and thus be filled with the Spirit, for it will result in

acceptance into the kingdom.

THINK IT THROUGH



Am I wise or foolish? Review what it means to be

ready for the coming of Jesus.

"What is our position in the world?

We are in the waiting time. But this

period is not to be spent in abstract

devotion. Waiting, watching, and vigi-

lant working are to be combined. Our

life should not be all bustle and drive

and planning about the things of the

world, to the neglect of personal piety

and of the service that God requires.

While we should not be slothful in busi-

ness, we should be fervent in spirit,

serving the Lord. The lamp of the soul

must be trimmed, and we must have

the oil of grace in our vessels with our

lamps. Every precaution must be used

to prevent spiritual declension, lest the

day of the Lord overtake us as a thief."

—"Testimonies," Vol. 5, p. 276.

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Christ's Object Lessons," pages

413-421.

Have You Oil in Your Vessels With Your Lamps?

"Though five of these virgins are

represented as wise and five as foolish,

all had lamps. They had all been con-

victed that they must prepare for the

coming of the bridegroom, and all had

gained a knowledge of the truth. There

was no apparent difference between

the wise and the foolish until the cry

was made, 'Behold, the bridegroom

cometh; go ye out to meet him;' but the

true state of things was then devel-

oped. The wise had taken precautions

to carry oil with them in their vessels,

so that their lamps that were begin-

ning to burn dimly might be replen-

ished with oil; but the foolish had not

provided for this emergency, and now

they made an earnest, distressed peti-

tion to those who were wise. 'And the

foolish said unto the wise, Give us of

your oil; for our lamps are gone out.'

They had neglected to prepare them-

selves to meet the bridegroom, and

now turned to those who had provided

themselves with oil. 'But the wise an-

swered, saying, Not so; lest there be

not enough for us and you; but go ye

rather to them that sell, and buy for

yourselves.'

"In reading this parable one cannot

but pity the foolish virgins, and ask the

question, Why is it that the wise did

not divide their supply of oil? But as

we make the spiritual application of

the parable, we can see the reason. It is

not possible for those who have faith

and grace to divide their supply with

those who have not. It is not possible

for those who have made a thorough

heart work, to impart the benefit of this

to those who have done but surface

work. The parable is designed to point

out the peril of doing a surface work.

Many profess to be Christians, and for

a time their half-heartedness is not dis-

cerned. The difference between them

and those who are truly pious is not

made apparent. This parable should

awaken solemn reflections. Consider-

ing it we should ask ourselves, Are we

doers of the words of Christ? Are we

building on the rock? Are we, in our

probationary time, making our calling

and election sure? We should not

soothe our consciences in expectation

of heaven, when we are not bearing

the distinguishing characteristics of the

Christian life. Paul says, 'examine your-

selves, whether ye be in the faith;

prove your own selves. Know ye not

your own selves, how that Jesus Christ

is in you, except ye be reprobates?'

"All the ten virgins appeared to be

ready for the coming of the bride-

groom, and yet the test brought out the

fact that five were unready. Those who

have true piety esteem and revere the

law of God. Through the grace of Christ

they exemplify the principles of the law

in their lives, and will not willfully

break any of the commandments of

God. They realize that 'to obey is better

than sacrifice, and to hearken than the

fat of rams.' They yield to Christ, who

leads men to repentance of sin, who

pardons the penitent soul, and clothes

him with his own righteousness. The

converted soul has a hatred of sin; he

does not indulge in self-complacency,

self-love, self-sufficiency, nor pass on

day after day, claiming to be a Chris-

tian, and yet bringing dishonor upon

Christ by misrepresenting him in char-

acter. Those who make this mistake,

and pass on filled with self-righteous-

ness, have not in reality made the first

step heavenward. The first step toward

heaven is conviction of sin, the second

is repentance and obedience. True piety

never exalts self.

"The foolish virgins do not represent

those who are hypocritical. They had a

regard for truth, they advocated the

truth, they were intending to go forth

to meet the bridegroom. They are at-

tached to those who believe the truth,

and go with them, having lamps, which

represent a knowledge of the truth.

When there was a revival in the church,

their feelings were stirred; but they

failed to have oil in their vessels, be-

cause they did not bring the principles

of godliness into their daily life and

character. They did not fall upon the

rock Christ Jesus, and permit their old

nature to be broken up. This class is rep-

resented also by the stony-ground hear-

ers. Christ said: 'Behold, a sower went

forth to sow; and when he sowed, some

seeds fell by the wayside; and the

fowls came and devoured them up;

some fell upon stony places, where

they had not much earth; and forthwith

they sprung up, because they had no

deepness of earth.' Jesus explains these

stonyground hearers, and says, 'But he

that received the seed into stony places,

the same is he that heareth the word,

and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath

he not root in himself, but dureth for

awhile; for when tribulation or perse-

cution ariseth because of the word, by

and by he is offended.'

"Many receive the truth readily, but

they fail to assimilate truth, and its

influence is not abiding. They are like

the foolish virgins, who had no oil in

their vessels with their lamps. Oil is a

symbol of the Holy Spirit, which is

brought into the soul through faith in

Jesus Christ. Those who earnestly

search the Scriptures with much prayer,

who rely upon God with firm faith, who

obey his commandments, will be

among those who are represented as

wise virgins. The teachings of the word

of God are not yea and nay, but yea

and amen. The requirement of the gos-

pel is far-reaching. Says the apostle,

'Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do

all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giv-

ing thanks to God and the Father by

him.' Whether therefore ye eat, or

drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to

the glory of God.' Practical piety will

not be attained by giving the grand

truths of the Bible a place in the outer

courts of the heart. The religion of the

Bible must be brought into the large

and the little affairs of life. It must

furnish the powerful motives and prin-

ciples that will regulate the Christian's

character and course of action.

"Human nature is depraved, and is

justly condemned by a holy God. But

provision is made for the repenting

sinner, so that by faith in the atone-

ment of the only begotten Son of God,

he may receive forgiveness of sin, find

justification, receive adoption into the

heavenly family, and become an in-

heritor of the kingdom of God. Trans-

formation of character is wrought

through the operation of the Holy

Spirit, which works upon the human

agent, implanting in him, according to

his desire and consent to have it done,

a new nature. The image of God is

restored to the soul, and day by day

he is strengthened and renewed by

grace, and is enabled more and more

perfectly to reflect the character of

Christ in righteousness and true holi-

ness.

"The oil so much needed by those

who are represented as foolish virgins,

is not something to be put on the out-

side. They need to bring the truth into

the sanctuary of the soul, that it may

cleanse, refine, and sanctify. It is not

theory that they need; it is the sacred

teachings of the Bible, which are not

uncertain, disconnected doctrines, but

are living truths, that involve eternal

interests that center in Christ. In him

is the complete system of divine truth.

The salvation of the soul, through faith

in Christ, is the ground and pillar of

the truth. Those who exercise true faith

in Christ make it manifest by holiness

of character, by obedience to the law

of God. They realize that the truth as

it is in Jesus reaches heaven, and com-

passes eternity. They understand that

the Christian's chciFtiEle7

s1;;;TTcri-dpre-

sent_the character of Chrisr

—

citicrb

—

e full

of grace and truth. To them is imparted

the oil of grace, which sustains a never-

failing light. The Holy Spirit in the heart

of the believer, makes him complete in

Christ. It is not a decided evidence that

a man or a woman is a Christian be-

cause he manifests deep emotion when

under exciting circumstances. He who

is Christlike has a deep, determined,

persevering element in his soul, and

yet has a sense of his own weakness,

and is not deceived and misled by the

Devil, and made to trust in himself.

He has a knowledge of the word of

God, and knows that he is safe only

as he places his hand in the hand of

Jesus Christ, and keeps firm hold upon

him.

"Character is revealed by a crisis.

When the earnest voice proclaimed at

midnight, 'Behold, the bridegroom com-

eth; go ye out to met him,' the sleeping

virgins roused from their slumbers, and

it was seen who had made preparation

for the event. Both parties were taken

unawares, but one was prepared for

the emergency, and the other was

found without preparation. Character

is revealed by circumstances. Emergen-

cies bring out the true metal of charac-

ter. Some sudden and unlooked-for

calamity, bereavement, or crisis, some

unexpected sickness or anguish, some-

thing that brings the soul face to face

with death, will bring out the true in-

wardness of the character. It will be

made manifest whether or not there

is any real faith in the promises of the

word of God. It will be made manifest

whether or not the soul is sustained by

grace, whether there is oil in the vessel

with the lamp.

"Testing times come to all. How do

we conduct ourselves under the test

and proving of God? Do our lamps go

out? or do we still keep them burning?

Are we prepared for every emergency

by our connection with Him who is full

of grace and truth? The five wise vir-

gins could not impart their character

to the five foolish virgins. Character

must be formed by us as individuals. It

cannot be transferred to another, even

if the possessor were willing to make

the sacrifice. There is much we can do

for each other while mercy still lingers.

We can represent the character of

Christ. We can give faithful warnings

to the erring. We can reprove, rebuke,

with all long-suffering and doctrine,

bringing the doctrines of Holy Writ

home to the heart. We can give heart-

felt sympathy. We can pray with and

for one another. By living a circumspect

life, by maintaining a holy conversa-

tion, we may give an example of what

a Christian should be; but no person

can give to another his own mold of

character. Let us duly consider the fact

that we are to be saved, not as com-

panies, but as individuals. We shall

be judged according to the character

we have formed. It is perilous to ne-

glect to prepare the soul for eternity,

and to put off making our peace with

God until upon a dying bed. It is by

the daily transactions of life, by the

spirit we manifest, that we determine

our eternal destiny. He who is faithful

in that which is least, is faithful also in

much. If we have made Christ our pat-

tern, if we have walked and worked

as he has given us an example in his

own life, we shall be able to meet the

solemn surprises that will come upon us

in our experience, and say from our

heart, 'Not my will, but thine, be done.'

"It is in probationary time, the time

is which we are living, that we should

calmly contemplate the terms of sal-

vation, and live according to the condi-

tions laid down in the word of God. We

should educate and train ourselves,

hour by hour and day by day, by care-

ful discipline, to perform every duty.

We should become acqainted with God

and with Jesus Christ whom he has

sent. In every trial it is our privilege to

draw upon him who has said, 'Let him

take hold of my strength, that he may

make peace with me; and he shall

make peace with me.' The Lord says he

is more willing to give us the Holy

Spirit than parents are to give bread to

their children. Then let us have the oil

of grace in our vessels with our lamps,

that we may not be found among those

who are represented as foolish virgins,

who were not prepared to go forth to

meet the bridegroom."—Ellen G. White,

"Review and Herald," Sept. 17, 1895.

LESSON 9

November 26 to December

WATCHING OR NOT WATCHING?

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast

been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter

thou into the joy of thy lord." Matt. 25 :21.

The parable of the virgins taught, as we

studied last week, what it means for the

believer •to be ready for Jesus' coming. Be-

cause this readiness is for an event of

unknown date, it is not only a matter of

getting ready but also of remaining ready

for Jesus' coming. It was on this point

that the foolish virgins failed. Jesus con-

cluded from the parable that watching was

necessary also (Matt. 25:13), and this idea

is the transition thought between the par-

ables of the virgins and of the talents. In

the parable of the talents "He showed what

it means to watch for His coming."—

Christ's Object Lessons,

page 325.

In the parable of the virgins the time of

waiting for the advent was empty—the girls

were sleeping. But in the parable of the

talents it is this empty place that is now

filled in. It teaches what the disciple is to

be doing while he watches for his Lord's

return.

"While the virgins were represented as

waiting

for their Lord, we have here the

servants

working

for Him. There the in-

ward spiritual life of the faithful was de-

scribed, here their external activity. There,

by the fate of the foolish virgins, we were

warned against negligence and decays in

the inner life; here, by the doom of the

slothful servant, against indolence in our

outward vocation and work. That parable

enforced the need of keeping the heart with

all diligence; this of putting all diligence

also into our outward service, if we would

give our account with joy and not with

sorrow. Very fitly, therefore, the other

precedes, and this follows, since the main-

tenance of the life of God in the heart is

the sole condition of a profitable outward

activity for the kingdom of God."—Trench,

Notes on the Parables of Our Lord,

page

209.

An article by Ellen G. White,

"Workers With God," appears on

pages 73-75 of this quarterly. It

was originally published in the

Re-

view and Herald

and is reprinted

here for reading in conjunction with

this week's lesson.

LESSON OUTLINE

The Central Teaching

Matt. 25:14, 15, 19

The Meaning of the Talents

Mark 1:14, 15; 16:15

The Distribution of the Talents

Matt. 25:14, 15

The Increase of the Talents

Matt. 25:16-18

The Accounting for Talents

Matt. 25:19-21

To Have and to Have Not

Matt. 25:28, 29

Watching or Not Watching?

LESSON 9



❑

Sunday

November

Part 1

CENTRAL TEACHING

Matt. 25:14, 15, 19

"For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into

a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered

unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to

another two, and to another one; to every man accord-

ing to his several ability; and straightway took his jour-

ney." "After a long time the lord of those servants cometh,

and reckoneth with them."

►

Whom do the master and servants represent? Read

Acts 1:8-11 and compare it with the parable.

►

What is the key feature of this parable? Matt. 25:15,

20.

All of the details of the parable are essential to making the

story, but the teaching of the parable hinges on the talents. It is

how the servants relate themselves to the talents that deter-

mines their destinies. To have an increase of talents is com-

mendable; to have no increase of talents is reprehensible. To

have increase is reason for promotion; to have no increase is

reason for discharge from duty. To have increase is to have

watched; to have no increase is not to have watched.

THINK IT THROUGH



Read Matt. 25:13-30 twice, learn the details of the

parable, and reflect on it in the light of Matthew 24.

"The parable of the talents should

receive prayerful, critical attention. By

it we are shown the importance of trad-

ing diligently and conscientiously on

our Lord's goods. Not one thread of

selfishness is to be woven into his work.

Worldly ambition is not to be cherished.

We are to keep self out of sight, hold-

ing Christ before the world. We are to

bring glory to God by doing our best to

"Christ gave the parable of the tal-

ents to show us that all the blessings we

have come from God. Our gifts belong

to him. They are not to be used accord-

ing to human judgment, but according

to the directions given in God's Word.

We are to study how we may use these

gifts for the up-building of the cause

of truth."—Ellen G. White, "Review and

Herald," June 27, 1907.

be perfect men and perfect women.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 325, 326.

Watching or Not Watching?

LESSON 9



❑

Monday

November 27

Part 2 D What business of Jesus Christ was placed in the hands

THE MEANING of His servants just before His ascension?

OF THE TALENTS

Mark 1:14, 15; 16:15

"Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came

into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God

is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and

preach the gospel to every creature."

As it was the business of the man in the parable to invest

money, so it is the business of Jesus Christ to preach the gospel

to the people of this world. As the master went on a journey,

so Jesus has gone to His Father. As the master returned, so

will Jesus return. But what is the equivalent in experience of

the talents in the parable?

The talents of the parable should not be confused with the

present-day usage of talent as ability. The talents given to the

servants were money. A worker today working at minimum

wage would earn about $75,000 in the time that a worker in

the first century would earn the equivalent of one talent. Thus,

even the man with one talent was given a considerable sum of

money. The man with five talents received a sum equivalent to

about $375,000. These talents, money, were the medium through

which the servants conducted the master's business.

Go- What was the means provided by Jesus for doing the

work of the gospel? Acts 1:4, 8.

THINK IT THROUGH

"The talents that Christ entrusts to His church represent

especially the gifts and blessings imparted by the Holy Spirit."

—Christ's Object Lessons,

page 327. But the talents given re-

quired the action of the servants to secure increase.

In this week's lesson we will study this main idea of the

parable—the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of the believer in

doing the work of the gospel.

What is the role of the Spirit in Christian work and

activity?



"The tastes are to be elevated, the



Lord claims all the service which any

appetite subdued, by those who are human being, aided and enriched by



seeking for the eternal inheritance, a



divine grace, can render; and to with-



life which measures with the life of



hold this from Him is robbery."—Ellen

God. The gospel demands an unre-

G. White, "Review and Herald," April



served surrender of body and soul, with



9, 1901.

all their energies and capabilities. The

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Christ's Object Lessons," pages 327, 328.

Part 3

THE DISTRIBUTION

OF THE TALENTS

Matt. 25:14, 15

❑

Tuesday

November

IP-

What determined the amount of money entrusted to

each servant?

Watching or Not Watching?

LESSON 9

"For the kingdom of heaven is

as a man travelling

into a far country, who called his own servants, and de-

livered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five

talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man

according to his several ability; and straightway took

his journey."

If the talents were interpreted as representing human abili-

ties, a problem is created: The talents were distributed accord-

ing to ability, which would then be saying that each man re-

ceives ability according .to his ability. Such a statement has

no meaning. But are not human abilities the means of preaching

the gospel? Yes, but only partially.

"The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents rep-

resented in the parable. It includes all gifts and endowments,

whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual. All are to be

employed in Christ's service. In becoming His dgaiiles, we

surrender ourselves to Hihi with all that we are and have.

These gifts He returns to us purified and ennobled, to be used

for His glory in blessing our fellow

men."—Christ's Object

Lessons,

page 328.

From the above quotation it becomes clear that it is neces-

sary to think of two kinds of abilities—the natural abilities

that one possesses as a human being and the human abilities

that are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The talents do not rep-

resent the human ability that every person in the world has.

This is a parable of servants of Jesus Christ whose human

ability has been surrendered to Him. He sanctifies this ability

by the Holy Spirit and returns it to the Christian believer to be

used in doing His work. To receive talents according to ability

then must mean that the amount of sanctified ability that a

person receives is equal to the amount of natural ability that

he possesses.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is sanctified ability? How does it differ from

human, natural ability?

"It is only when brought under full

control of the Spirit of God that the tal-

ents of an individual are rendered use-

ful to the fullest extent. The precepts

and principles of religion are the first

steps in the acquisition of knowledge,

and lie at the very foundation of true

education. Knowledge and science must

be vitalized by the Spirit of God in

order to serve the noblest purposes.

The Christian alone can make the right

use of knowledge. Science, in order to

be fully appreciated, must be viewed

from a religious standpoint. The heart

which is ennobled by the grace of God

can best comprehend the real value of

education."—"Testimonies," Vol. 4, p.

427.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 329-332.

Watching or Not Watching?

LESSON 9

Part 4

THE INCREASE

OF THE TALENTS

Matt. 25:16-18

[I] Wednesday

November 29

What were the two types of results of the entrusted

money?

"Then he that had received the five talents went and

traded with the same, and made them other five talents.

And likewise he that had received two, he also gained

other two. But he that had received one went and digged

in the earth, and hid his lord's money."

The parable here teaches us that in doing the work of

Christ with sanctified ability there is an increase of sanctified

ability. This is possible not only because from a human stand-

point "practice makes perfect," but because the human being

and the Holy Spirit are in cooperation. Thus there is power

from outside of man working in him to make him more com-

petent in Christ's work than he was at the beginning or could

ever become by his own unaided effort.

The man who hid his money in the earth is not a world-

ling. He is one who has surrendered his life to Christ, or he

would have received no talent. Christ has worked in his life,

but his problem is that he did not continue by cooperating with

the Spirit in doing Christ's work. There was no increase. The

money was hid in the earth for safekeeping. His sanctified

ability was absorbed by the world, and not by the kingdom

of Jesus Christ. And the world's methods cannot increase sanc-

tified ability.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the responsibility of the person for the in-

crease of the abilities God has given?

"Talents used are talents multiplied.

Success is not the result of chance or of

destiny; it is the outworking of God's

own providence, the reward of faith

and discretion, of virtue and persever-

ing effort. The Lord desires us to use

every gift we have; and if we do this,

we shall have greater gifts to use. He

does not supernaturally endow us with

the qualifications we lack; but while

we use that which we have, He will

work with us to increase and strengthen

every faculty. By every wholehearted,

earnest sacrifice for the Master's service

our powers will increase. While we

yield ourselves as instruments for the

Holy Spirit's working, the grace of God

works in us to deny old inclinations, to

overcome powerful propensities, and to

form new habits. As we cherish and

obey the promptings of the Spirit, our

hearts are enlarged to receive more

and more of His power, and to do more

and better work. Dormant energies are

aroused, and palsied faculties receive

new life."—"Christ's Object Lessons,"

pages 353, 354.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 353-355.

Watching or Not Watching?

LESSON 9



❑

Thursday

November 30

Part 5

THE ACCOUNTING

FOR TALENTS

Matt. 25:19-21

THINK IT THROUGH

"After a long time the lord of those servants cometh,

and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received

five talents came and brought other five talents, saying,

Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have

gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto

him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast

been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler

over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

(Read also Matt. 25:22-28.)

The return of the master corresponds to the return of Jesus

at the unknown time. What each servant presents to the master

is the initial gift and the increase of sanctified ability. In actual

experience this has been accomplished through the Spirit, and

it is this fact that makes the subsequent welcome into the king-

dom the result of righteousness by faith. "All that He claims

from us we through divine grace can

render."—Christ's Object

Lessons,

page 362.

"It is the faithfulness, the loyalty to God, the loving sskylce,

that wins the divine approval. Every impulse of the

Holy

Spirit leading men to goodness and to God, is noted in the

books of heaven, and in the day of God the workers through

whom He has wrought will be commended."—Ibid., p. 361.

The man without increase did everything from a self-centered

viewpoint. He was not concerned for his master's business, but

for his own standing with the master. To use Christ's gifts

selfishly is a contradiction. But the one-talent servant tried to

overcome the contradiction by stressing preservation of his

ability instead of increase; his work, instead of the Spirit's

work in him. On this basis he was seeking the kingdom by

self-righteousness, and the master excluded him.

What is the relationship between the work for the

Master and acceptance into the kingdom? Think care-

fully.

in the church. There can be no such

thing as a lazy Christian, though there

are many indolent professors of Chris-

tianity. While Christ's followers will

realize their own weakness, they will

cry earnestly to God for strength, that

they may be workers together with

him. They will constantly seek to be-

come better men and better women,

that they may more faithfully perform

the work which he has committed to

their hands."—Ellen G. White, "Review

and Herald," Jan. 19, 1886.

"At the final day, we shall be ap-

proved or condemned according to our

works. The Judge of all the earth will

render a just decision. He will not be

bribed; he cannot be deceived. He who

made man, and whose are the worlds

and all the treasures they contain—he

it is who weighs character in the bal-

ance of eternal justice.

"Would that we as a people might

realize how much is pending upon our

earnestness and fidelity in the service

of Christ. All who realize their account-

ability to God, will be burden-bearers

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Christ's Object Lessons," pages

360-364.

Part 6

TO HAVE AND

TO HAVE NOT

Matt. 25:28, 29

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Friday

December 1

"Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto

him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath

shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from

him that hath not shall be taken away even that which

he hath."

This text may sound puzzling, but if interpreted in the con-

text it is clear. That which the faithful servants had which the

unfaithful had not was increase of money. All who had an

increase were given rewards. The one without increase to all

intents and purposes had nothing at all, for the results to the

master were the same as if he had had nothing. From the stand-

point of Christian experience there is a sense in which he never

even had the one talent. He never made it his own by use. He

was so loosely attached to the sanctified ability that it can be

said he didn't have it; but it had been given to him, and so

it can also be said that he did have it.

This parable teaches us that faithful watching for the advent

is self-development through the Spirit to God's glory, and it

will result in eternal life; unfaithful watching for the advent

is neglect of self-development through the Spirit to God's glory,

and it will result in destruction.

What is the significance of the statement that the ser-

vant with ten talents benefited from the talent taken away

from the unfaithful servant?

Watching or Not Watching?

LESSON 9

the pure atmosphere of love that per-

vades heaven. The voices of the angels

and the music of their harps would not

satisfy them. To their minds the science

of heaven would be as an enigma.

"In the great judgment day those

who have not worked for Christ, those

who have drifted along, carrying no

responsibility, thinking of themselves,

pleasing themselves, will be placed by

the Judge of all the earth with those

who did evil. They receive the same

condemnation."--"Christ's Object Les-

sons," pages 364, 365.

"Employed to bless others, his gifts

increase. Shut up to self-serving they

diminish, and are finally withdrawn.

He who refuses to impart that which he

has received will at last find that he has

nothing to give. He is consenting to a

process that surely dwarfs and finally

destroys the faculties of the soul.

"Let none suppose that they can live

a life of selfishness, and then, having

served their own interests, enter into

the joy of their Lord. In the joy of un-

selfish love they could not participate.

They would not be fitted for the heav-

enly courts. They could not appreciate

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 364, 365.

Workers With God

"God's blessings are not bestowed

pon men independent of human ef-

ort. We see this principle illustrated in

he natural world. God has given us

he earth with its treasures. He causes

t to bring forth food for man and

)east, he sends the recurring seasons,

se gives the sunshine, the dew, and the

ain; yet man is required to act his

)art; he must co-operate with God's

)lan by diligent, painstaking effort. The

alough must break up the soil, the seed

rust be sown, the field must be tilled,

ar there will be no harvest.

"So in the spiritual world. All that

we possess, whether of talents, of in-

fluence, or of means, is of God; we can

accomplish nothing without divine aid.

Yet we are not released from the ne-

cessity of effort. While salvation is the

gift of God, man has a part to act in

the carrying out of the plan of redemp-

tion. God has chosen to use men as his

instruments, to employ human agencies

in the accomplishment of his purposes.

He has ordained to unite divine power

with human endeavor, in the work of

saving souls. Thus we become laborers

together with God. We have a grand

and important work, because it is a

part of God's great plan for the re-

demption of man. It is a high honor

bestowed upon finite beings thus to

co-operate with the Majesty of heaven.

"God is not dependent upon men for

the advancement of his cause. He might

have made angels the embassadors of

his truth. He might have made known

his will, as he proclaimed the law from

Sinai with his own voice. But in order

to cultivate a spirit of benevolence in

us, he has chosen to employ men to

do this work. Every act of self-sacrifice

for the good of others will strengthen

the spirit of beneficence in the giver's

heart, allying him more closely to the

Redeemer of the world, who 'was rich,

yet for our sakes became poor, that we

through his poverty might be rich.' And

it is only as we fulfill the divine pur-

pose in our creation that life can be

a blessing to us. All the good gifts of

God to man will prove only a curse,

unless he employs them to bless his

fellow men, and for the advancement

of God's cause in the earth.

"The spirit of benevolence is the

spirit of heaven. The spirit of selfish-

ness is the spirit of Satan. Christ's self-

sacrificing love is revealed upon the

cross. He gave all he had, and then

gave himself that man might be saved.

The cross of Christ appeals to the bene-

volence of every follower of the blessed

Saviour. The principle illustrated there

is to give, give. This carried out in good

works is the true fruit of the Christian

life. The principle of worldliness is to

get, get, and thus people expect to

secure happiness; but carried out in all

its bearings, its fruit is misery and

death.

"Selfishness is the strongest and most

general of human impulses, the strug-

gle of the soul between sympathy and

covetousness is an unequal contest; for

while selfishness is the strongest pas-

sion, love and benevolence are too

often the weakest, and as a rule the

evil gains the victory. Therefore in our

labors and gifts for God's cause, it is

unsafe to be controlled by feeling or

impulse. To give or to labor when our

sympathies are moved, and to withhold

our gifts or service when the emotions

are not stirred, is an unwise and dan-

gerous course. If we are controlled by

impulse or mere human sympathy, then

a few instances where our efforts for

others are repaid with ingratitude, or

where our gifts are abused or squan-

dered, will be sufficient to freeze up

the springs of beneficence.

"Christians should act from fixed

principle, following the Saviour's ex-

ample of self-denial and self-sacrifice.

What if Christ had left his work, becom-

ing weary because of the ingratitude

and abuse that met him on every side?

What if he had returned to heaven dis-

couraged by his reception? We are

reaping the fruits of his infinite self-

sacrifice; and yet when labor is to be

done, when our help is needed in the

work of the Redeemer in the salvation

of souls, we shrink from duty and pray

to be excused. Ignoble sloth, careless

indifference, and wicked selfishness

seal our senses to the claims of God.

"How does God regard our ingrati-

tude and lack of appreciation of his

blessings? When we see one slight or

misuse our gifts, our hearts and hands

are closed against him. But those who

received God's merciful gifts day after

day, and year after year, misapply his

bounties, and neglect the souls for

whom Christ has given his life. The

means which he has lent them to sus-

tain his cause and build up his king-

dom are invested in houses and lands,

lavished on pride and self-indulgence,

and the Giver is forgotten. The truth

which is designed of God to be carried

to all nations is impeded in its course,

because the money that is needed for

the work is expended on selfish grati-

fications. The gifts of heaven, if em-

ployed for the purpose for which they

were bestowed, would bring many sons

and daughters to God. But vanity and

extravagant display grasp everything

within their reach to build up and

glorify self, and many souls are lost

because of this neglect.

"By their abuse of God's gifts in this

life, many are proving themselves un-

worthy of eternal life. The powers of

the mind and the affections of the soul

are selfishly diverted from the channel

in which God would have them flow.

These persons do not appreciate the

great salvation brought within their

reach, or they would unite with Christ

in his work. Their interest is not in that

direction, but centered upon self. Their

treasure is not laid up in heaven but

on the earth, and they mind earthly

things....

"You who claim to believe the truth,

to be waiting for the appearing of our

Lord in the clouds of heaven, waiting

to be translated to the mansions Christ

has given his life to purchase, how

much, I ask, do you love his appear-

ing? How much do you value eternal

above temporal things?—Just as much

as your works show, and no more.

Brethren and sisters, 'the night is far

spent, the day is at hand.' I call upon

you to awake out of sleep. Let every

church arouse and put away their pride

and vanity and worldliness. Let them

humble their hearts before God by re-

pentance that they have lifted so few

burdens for Christ.

"Did we realize that we are not our

own, but are bought with a price, even

the precious blood of the Son of God,

we would work from altogether a

higher stand-point. God despises a

dead offering; he requires a living sac-

rifice, with intellect, sensibilities, and

will, fully enlisted in his service. Every

distinctive faculty should be devoted to

this work,—our feet swift to move at

the call of duty, our hands ready to

act when work is to be done, our lips

prepared to speak the truth in love, and

show forth the praise of Him who has

called us out of darkness into his mar-

velous light. We should continue this

consecration, not taking anything from

the altar; for this is sacrilege. When his

people thus consecrate themselves in

sincerity and humility, they are ac-

cepted of God; and they become to him

a sweet-smelling savor, diffusing a rich

fragrance throughout all the earth.

"To us as a people God has com-

mitted great and solemn truths, not

merely to be enjoyed by ourselves, but

to be given to others. The banner of

truth must be unfurled in every nation.

The message of warning must be

proclaimed to every tongue and people.

But this work is still far from being ac-

complished. I am pained as I see the

condition of things in Europe. Some-

thing has been accomplished, and the

angels are still holding the four winds

that a far greater work may be done;

but there is so great poverty and actual

want that the truth makes slow progress.

In how many countries has the message

as yet only found an entrance! In how

many cities is there not even one soul

that has heard the proclamation of the

Third Angel's Message! Angels of God

are moving upon minds, and preparing

the way for the reception of the truth.

From every side the Macedonian cry is

heard, 'Come over and help us.' But

the work is hindered for lack of work-

ers and for lack of means.

"The people of God are not half

awake. A stupor seems to be paralyz-

ing their sensibilities. Each of us will

soon have to stand before the Judge

of all the earth, to answer for the deeds

done in the body. All will then have to

give an account for the good they might

have done, but did not do because they

were not so closely connected with God

that they could know his will and un-

derstand his claims upon them. If the

money that has been expended an-

nually by our brethren in selfish grati-

fication had been, placed in the mis-

sion treasury, where there is now one

missionary in the field there might be

one hundred. Who will have to render

an account for this great lack of funds?

Many of our American brethren have

done nobly and willingly for the ad-

vancement of the truth in Europe, but

there is a great work yet to be done.

Many who have given liberally could

do more, and others should now come

forward and bear their share of the

burden. Now is the time when houses

and lands should be converted into mis-

sion funds. Men are to be educated

and disciplined. We feel alarmed as

we see the little that is being done,

when we have a world-wide message,

and the end of all things is at hand.

"The voice of Providence is calling

upon all who have the love of God in

their hearts to arouse to this great emer-

gency. Never was there a time when

so much was at stake as to-day. Never

was there a period in which greater

energy and self-sacrifice were de-

manded of God's commandment-keep-

ing people. If there was ever need of

economy and self-denial, it is now.

There should be no extravagance •in

dress, no useless expenditure for self-

indulgence or display. Let our means

and our labors be devoted to the cause

of God, to save souls for whom Christ

died.

"As the holidays are approaching, I

appeal to you, instead of making gifts

to your friends, to bring your offerings

to God. Let us show that we appreci-

ate the great plan of redemption. As

God has given us all Heaven in the gift

of his dear Son, let us express our

gratitude by thank-offerings to his

cause. Let the evergreen Christmas

trees yield a rich harvest for God.

present before you our missions

in foreign lands as the object of your

gifts. Let us show that we value the

precious light of truth by making a

sacrifice to extend the light to those

who are in darkness. Through our self-

denial and sacrifice, lands that have

never heard the truth may hear it. They

may become vocal with the praise of

God, and from them many voices may

be lifted to swell the last note of warn-

ing. Let every church, every family,

join in this work. Let every child take

a part, bringing some offering as the

result of his own industry and self-

denial. The Saviour will accept the free-

will offerings of every one. Gifts which

are the fruit of self-denial to extend

the precious light of truth, will be as

fragrant incense before God.

"Have we been forgetful of God's

goodness in the past, we have now a

precious opportunity to redeem these

neglects. Let us upon the coming Christ-

mas and New Year's not only make an

offering to him of our means, but give

ourselves to him in willing service. To

each of us, from the oldest to the

youngest, is granted the privilege of

becoming workers together with God.

Christ is soon to come in the clouds of

heaven to reward every one according

to his works. To whom will it then be

said, 'Ye have done what ye could'?"

—Ellen G. White, "Review and Herald,"

Dec. 7, 1886.

LESSON 1(

December

FAITHFUL OR UNFAITHFUL? 10

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch

as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it

unto me." Matt. 25:40.

The parable of the judgment scene is

related to the teachings of Jesus in Mat-

thew 24 and 25 in at least three ways. (1)

The event presented in this parable is to

take place "when the Son of man shall come

in his glory, and all the holy angels with

him." Matt. 25:31. This is the same event

that Jesus taught in Matt. 24:30-33 was

pointed to by the signs. (2) In the parables

of Matthew 24 and 25 Jesus referred to a

division of people. Of those in the field

and at the mill "one shall be taken and

the other left." In the story of the faith-

ful and evil servants the first was pro-

moted, the other punished. Five of the

bridesmaids went to the wedding and five

were excluded. In the story of the talents

the faithful servants were commended and

promoted, the unfaithful servant was re-

buked, discharged, and punished. In each

case a judgment is taught but the nature of

the judgment is not revealed. This parable

explains what the judgment is about.

(3)

In the parable of the talents the division

was on the basis of faithfulness-unfaith-

fulness. In last week's lesson we noted that

this faithfulness or unfaithfulness was do-

ing or not doing the work of the kingdom

of heaven according to one's sanctified

ability; but the work of the kingdom was

not explained. In other words, the ques-

tion was never answered, "What does it

mean to be faithful?" The story of the

talents teaches the meaning of watching for

the advent. The story of the judgment

teaches the meaning of faithfulness while

waiting for the advent.

An article by Ellen G. White,

"Duty to the Poor, the Erring, and

the Wandering," appears on pages

83-85 of this quarterly. It was origi-

nally published in the

Review and

Herald

and is reprinted here for read-

ing in conjunction with this week's

lesson.

LESSON OUTLINE

The Scene

Matt. 25:31, 32

The Sheep

Verses 33, 34

The Goats

Verses 41-43

Identity With Christ

Verses 40, 45

The Rewards

Verses 34, 46

The Parable and the Advent

Verses 31, 32

Faithful or Unfaithful?

LESSON 10

Part 1

THE SCENE

Matt. 25:31, 32

❑

Sunday

December

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and

all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the

throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered

all nations: and he shall separate them one from another,

as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."

The event pictured here is the second coming of Jesus. A

decision as to who is redeemed has previously been made in the

investigative judgment, but it is at His appearing that the deci-

sion is carried out. This is not the judgment at the close of the

millennium, because that is the judgment of the wicked only.

It is at the second coming that the separation of the redeemed

from the unredeemed takes place, with the redeemed accom-

panying Christ on His return to heaven and the unredeemed

remaining on this earth.

Christ is the Shepherd of the whole world—of the sheep and

the goats. The parable of the bridesmaids and the parable of

the talents dealt with two kinds of Christians. The parable of

the judgment scene represents the whole world, thus presenting

just two basic kinds of people. Therefore the rejected "Chris-

tians" in the two previous parables are shown to belong with

the goats—the world's total unredeemed population.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the significance of Christ being Shepherd of

all the nations?

"Christ would have all understand

the events of His second appearing. The

judgment scene will take place in the

presence of all the worlds; for in this

judgment the government of God will

be vindicated, and His law will stand

forth as 'holy, and just, and good.' Then

every case will be decided, and sen-

tence will be passed 'upon all. Sin will

not then appear attractive, but will be

seen in all its hideous magnitude. All

will see the relation in which they stand

to God and to one another."—Ellen G.

White Comments, "SDA Bible Commen-

tary," Vol. 7, p. 986.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," page 322; "The Desire of Ages,"

page 637.

Faithful or Unfaithful?

LESSON 10

Part 2

THE SHEEP

Matt. 25:33, 34

0 Monday

December 4

"And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the

goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on

his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the

kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the

world."

"Inherit.

To inherit is to enter into possession of property.

Man was originally appointed king of this world (Gen. 1:28),

but lost his dominion as a result of sin. Daniel looked forward

to the time when the saints would once more inherit the eternal

kingdom originally planned for them (Dan.

7:27)."—SDA Bi-

ble Commentary,

on Matt. 25:34.

What was the distinguishing characteristic of the

sheep in the parable? Matt. 25:35, 36, 40.

The persons represented as sheep are loving persons. They

not only feel concern for those in need, but supply the need.

Thus love is seen to be active. It is this active concern for the

temporal and eternal welfare of the fellowman that is the char-

acteristic of the redeemed. "When the nations are gathered

before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal

destiny will be determined by what they have done or have

neglected to do for Him in the person of the poor and the

suffering."—The

Desire of Ages,

page 637.

OP-

What truth do you see in the following texts? John

17:3; 1

John 4:7.

Love is the root both of God's character and of His inten-

tion for the character of man. When men love God and their

fellowmen, it is evidence that He is succeeding in His work

within them by the Holy Spirit. The parable of the judgment

scene presents basically the same truth that Paul teaches in

1 Corinthians 13.

THINK IT THROUGH



The word "love" is used for many meanings. In the

best and highest sense what is love?

"God requires His people to be far

more pitiful and considerate of the un-

fortunate than they are. . . . God re-

quires that the same consideration

which should be given to the widow

and fatherless be given to the blind and

to those suffering under the affliction

of other physical infirmities. Disinter-

ested benevolence is very rare in this

professed Christian men should disre-

gard the plain, positive teachings of the

Word of God and_feeLnp compunction

of conscience` Godplaces upon them

the responsibility of caring for the un-

fortunate, the blind, the lame, the

widow, and the fatherless; but many

make no effort to regard it."—Ellen G.

White, "My Life Today," page 243.

age of the world. . . . It is strange that

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Desire of Ages," pages 638-641.

Part 3

THE GOATS

Matt. 25:41-43

❑

Tuesday

December 5

For what are those on the Shepherd's left hand con-

demned?

Faithful or Unfaithful?

LESSON 10

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared

for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and

ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no

drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked,

and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited

me not."

•

As those who have done loving deeds are accepted, so those

who have neglected to do loving deeds are rejected. The doers

are lovers, and the non-doers are self-seekers. These have fol-

lowed the principle of Lucifer, who sought his own exaltation.

Those on Christ's left hand are not accused of crimes and foul

deeds. They may or may not have been guilty of these, but

that is a secondary consideration. The basic motivating power

of their lives has been selfishness, and they are rejected in the

judgment because they have not a loving character like that -

of Christ. Their ministry has been to self and not to others.

"Only when selfishness is dead, when strife for supremacy is

banished, when gratitude fills the heart, and love makes fragrant

the life—it is only then that Christ is abiding in the soul, and

we are recognized as laborers together with

God."—Christ's

Object Lessons,

page 402.

"Whatever work we do, we are to do it for Christ. There

are many kinds of temporal work to be done for God. An

unbeliever would do this work mechanically, for the wages he

receives. He does not know the joy of cooperation with the

Master Worker. There is no spirituality in the work of him

who serves self. Common motives, common aspirations, com-

mon inspirations, a desire to be thought clever by men, rule in

his life. Such a one may receive praise from men, but not from

God. Those who are truly united with Christ do not work for

the wages they receive. Laborers together with God, they do

not strive to exalt

self."—Medical Ministry,

page 133.

THINK IT THROUGH



Why are the unredeemed excluded from the king-

dom?

"However short our service or hum-

ble our work, if in simple faith we

follow Christ, we shall not be disap-

pointed of the reward. That which even

the greatest and wisest cannot earn, the

weakest and most humble may receive.

Heaven's golden gate opens not to the

self-exalted. It is not lifted up to the

proud in spirit. But the everlasting por-

tals will open wide to the trembling

touch of a little child. Blessed will be

the recompense of grace to those who

have wrought for God in the simplicity

of faith and love."—"Christ's Object

Lessons," page 404.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing," pages 149-152.

Faithful or Unfaithful?

LESSON 10

Part 4

IDENTITY WITH

CHRIST

Matt. 25:40, 45

❑

Wednesday

December

"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily

I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of

the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.'

"Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say untc

you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these,

ye did it not to me."

Christ's reference to brethren in verse 40 does not indicate

that His close identity is only with believers. "But not to any

class is Christ's love restricted. He identifies Himself with every

child of humanity. That we might become members of the

heavenly family, He became a member of the earthly family.

He is the Son of man, and thus a brother to every son and

daughter of Adam. His followers are not to feel themselves

detached from the perishing world around them. They are a

part of the great web of humanity; and Heaven looks upon

them as brothers to sinners as well as to saints. The fallen, the

erring, and the sinful, Christ's love embraces; and every deed

of kindness done to uplift a fallen soul, every act of mercy, is

accepted as done to

Him."—The Desire of Ages,

page 638.

It is this identity of Jesus with human beings that makes

justification possible to those who choose to identify themselves

with Christ.

"When this intimacy of connection and communion [faith]

is formed, our sins are laid upon Christ ; His righteousness is

imputed to us. He was made sin for us that we might be made

the righteousness of God in Him. We have access to God

through Him; we are accepted in the Beloved. Whoever by

word or deed injures a believer thereby wounds Jesus. Whoever

gives a cup of cold water to a disciple because he is a child of

God will be regarded by Christ as giving to

Him."—Testi-

monies,

Vol. 5, p. 229.

Those on Christ's left hand are lost because they have never

identified themselves with Christ. Those on the right hand are

redeemed and their concerns and Christ's concerns coincide. This

is the goal of grace.

THINK IT THROUGH



How can I identify with Christ as near as possible to

the way He identifies with me?

"Every act, every deed of justice and

mercy and benevolence, makes music

in heaven. The Father from His throne

beholds and numbers the performer of

them with His most precious treasures.

'And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord

of hosts, when I make up My jewels.'

Every merciful act to the needy or the

suffering is as though done to Jesus.

Whoever succors the poor, or sympa-

thizes with the afflicted and oppressed,

and befriends the orphan, brings

himself into a more close relationship

to Jesus.

"Christ regards all acts of mercy,

benevolence, and thoughtful considera-

tion for the unfortunate, the blind, the

lame, the sick, the widow, and the

orphan, as done to Himself; and these

works are preserved in the heavenly

records, and will be rewarded."—

"Christian Service," page 268.

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Sabbath School Lesson Quarterly," pages 83-85.

Faithful or Unfaithful?

LESSON 10



❑

Thursday

December 7



Part 5



"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,

THE REWARDS Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre-

Matt. 25:34, 46 pared for you from the foundation of the world." "And

these [on the left hand] shall go away into everlasting

punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

The rewards given to the "sheep and the goats" are based on

what each is. Jesus calls the sheep the "blessed of my Father"

because under God's blessing of grace they have developed

characters like the Father's. The work they do is in harmony

with the Father's work, and taey work from the same loving,

selfless motivation. They enter the kingdom because the prin-

ciples of the kingdom are within them. They belong to it.

The "goats" are pronounced cursed instead of blessed be-

cause they are in their own existence a curse. Self is their

center, and the needs of others are neglected. Having refused

God's grace, they have developed characters like those of the

devil and his angels. The work they do is in harmony with the

devil's work, and they work from the same selfish, rebellious

motivation. They are excluded from the kingdom because they

have rejected the principles of the kingdom, love for God and

man. They would be misfits in heaven and would start a new

rebellion.

None of those in either group recognize their actions as hav-

ing been done to Christ. It appears that this aspect of the

parable shows that human beings do not comprehend the close,

intimate attachment of Jesus to the people of this world.



THINK IT THROUGH



How does righteousness by faith harmonize with the

picture of actions and rewards in this parable?

"In the last great day decisions will

be made that will be a surprise to

many. Human judgment will have no

place in the decisions then made. Christ

can and will judge every case; for all

judgment has been committed to Him

by the Father. He will estimate service

by that which is invisible to me`Z.The

most secret things lie open to His all-

seeing eye. When the Judge of all men

shall make His investigation, many of

those whom human estimation has

placed first will be placed last, and

those who have been put in the lowest

place by men will be taken out of the

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 2, pp. 24, 25.

ranks and made first."—"Medical Min-

istry," page 133.

"Love to man is the earthward mani-

festation of the love of God. It was to

implant this love, to make us children

of one family, that the King of glory

became one with us. And when His

parting words are fulfilled, 'Love one

another, as I have loved you' (John

15:12); when we love the world as He

has loved it, then for us His mission is

accomplished. We are fitted for heaven;

for we have heaven in our hearts."—

"The Desire of Ages," page 641.

Faithful or Unfaithful?

LESSON 10

Part 6

THE PARABLE AND

THE ADVENT

Matt. 25:31, 32

❑

Friday

December

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and

all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the

throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all

nations: and he shall separate them one from another,

as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."

In the parable of the judgment scene Jesus gave a

preview

of what will happen at the judgment. But the judgment is a

review

of each human being's life. In this parable Jesus ties

the human actions of today to the events in connection with

the second advent. The central thrust of the parable, then, is

not only a revelation of a future event, but a portrayal of how

to live in the present in preparation for the judgment.

How shall men await Christ's appearing and the judgment?

In ministering to human need. That is the content of the work

of the Master that the parable of the talents taught was to be

done faithfully. It is an enlargement on the meaning of watch-

ing.

A review of the meanings of the three parables of Matthew

25 can be instructive. The parable of the bridesmaids teaches

the relation of the Christian, the Word, and the Spirit to readi-

ness. The parable of the talents teaches the relation of doing

the Master's work faithfully, through the Spirit, to watchful-

ness. The description of the judgment scene teaches that the

content of Christ's work was loving ministry to needy persons.

The total impact of these three parables is that the Christian

is to live his life—spiritually, vocationally, socially—in refer-

ence to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

THINK IT THROUGH



How do these parables relate to the development of

a last generation?

"The character which we now mani-

fest is deciding our future destiny. The

happiness of heaven will be found by

conforming to the will of God, and if

men become members of the royal

family in heaven, it will be because

heaven has begun with them on earth.

. The righteous will take every grace,

every precious, sanctified ability, into

the courts above, and exchange earth

for heaven. God knows who are the

loyal and true subjects of His kingdom

on earth, and those who do His will

upon earth as it is done in heaven, will

be made the members of the royal

family above."—Ellen G. White, "Sons

and Daughters of God," page 361.

"The Lord is soon coming. Talk it,

pray it, believe it. Make it a part of the

life."—"Testimonies," Vol. 7, p. 237.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 6, pp. 261, 262.

Duty to the Poor, the Erring, and the Wandering

"'Whosoever hearth these sayings of

mine, and doeth them,

will liken him

unto a wise man, which built his house

upon a rock

;

and the rain descended,

and the floods came, and the winds

blew, and beat upon that house; and

it fell not; for it was founded upon a

rock. And every one that heareth these

sayings of mine, and doeth them not,

shall be likened unto a foolish man,

which built his house upon the sand;

and the rain descended, and the floods

came, and the winds blew, and beat

upon that house; and it fell; and great

was the fall of it.'

"Those who will be accounted worthy

of an entrance into the city of God, will

in character be without spot or wrinkle

or any such thing. So that He who is

the Truth, in whose mouth there was

no guile, will be able to say to them,

'Come, ye blessed of my Father, in-

herit the kingdom prepared for you

from the foundation of the world,' and

will be justified in saying, 'Thou good

and faithful servant; thou host been

faithful over a few things, I will make

thee ruler over many things; enter thou

into the joy of thy Lord.' Goodness and

faithfulness must be found combined

in the characters of those who are to

inherit eternal life. The Lord cannot

commend in this manner those who

take pride in doing injustice, in dealing

sharply with men who are related as

brethren in the church, or with unbe-

lievers. This kind of dealing is not after

God's business standard, but after the

standard of the world, and must be

repented of by those who would enter

into the kingdom of heaven.

"There are men and women whose

cold, unimpressible hearts have not kin-

dled and glowed under the bright beams

of the Sun of Righteousness. Message

after message has come to them, but

they have not heeded the warning, and

reformed their evil practices. The Lord

Jesus, who is the judge of every man,

will inquire in reference to many hard-

hearted, selfish, scheming transactions,

'Who hath required this at your hand?'

The spirit, the character, you have

manifested has not been at all after the

Pattern

have given you in my life

and character, when I was upon the

earth. Why have you not denied self,

lifted the cross, and followed me? Your

character is not after the divine simili-

tude, but after the similitude of the

character of the prince of evil; because

mercy and the love of God have not

been manifested. Heaven would be im-

periled if any such unholy characters

were to enter heaven; for you do not

reflect the divine attributes of good-

ness, mercy, and love.

"By beholding ypu_may become

changed into the divine image. Jesus

caTgR

the parable of the lost sheep

for our study. The true Shepherd leaves

the ninety and nine, and goes into the

desert at any expense and suffering to

himself, in order that he may find the

sheep that was lost. When he finds it,

he brings it back with rejoicing. How

many of the wandering and lost sheep

have you sought for, and brought back

to the fold with a heart full of pitying

tenderness, forgiveness, and love? How

many words of encouragement have

you spoken to the wandering sheep,

that have cost you pain, anxiety, and

much inconvenience? Have you cher-

ished a spirit to upbraid, to reproach,

and to whip the poor wanderers back

to .the fold? or have you spoken sooth-

ing words of hope, courage, and par-

don, bearing the wanderer home on

your shoulders, rejoicing at every step,

and saying, 'Rejoice with me; for

have

found my sheep that was lost'?

"Jesus says to you, I have given to

you the parable of the prodigal son,

and how has it influenced your course

of action? Have you felt tender sym-

pathy for the erring one? As you have

seen him awakening to a sense of the

degradation that sin has brought upon

him, have you spoken to him words of

encouragement and hope? Have you

had a sense of his suffering from re-

morse as he saw the years that he had

lost? and have your tears fallen with

his as he wept in penitence? Did you

descry him afar off, and run forth to

meet him with pity and gladness and

love in your voice and heart, rejoicing

that the poor, sin sick soul was repent-

ing and returning to his father's house,

even as I rejoiced to welcome you to

my pardoning love?

went to meet you

when you were lost; I welcomed you;

I took you in my arms; I wept over you.

Have you followed my example? Have

you welcomed the prodigal to the fold?

Have you accepted his repentance, and

rejoiced over his return?

"How many manifest the spirit of the

elder brother, who looked with cold-

ness on the return of the prodigal, and

instead of giving him a welcome, re-

proached those who rejoiced over his

return as one who was undeserving

and who had cost much trouble. Look

at the two figures in the parable, and

see whether you are manifesting a

spirit similar to that of the self-righ-

teous elder brother, who was full of

envy, jealousy, evil surmising, and

hatred toward the one whom the father

received so graciously. In which class

would the Lord Jesus reckon you were

you on the ground where such a scene

was enacted? These parables have a

practical meaning that many do not

discern.

"Study the life and character of

Christ, and seek to imitate his example.

The unctiris

eted course of some of

those who claim to be believers in the

third angel's message, has resulted in

driving some of the poor sheep into the

desert; and .who is it that has mani-

fested a shepherd's care for the lost

and wandering? Is it not time to be

Christians in practice as well as profes-

sion? What benevolence, what compas-

sion, what tender sympathy, Jesus has

manifested toward suffering humanity!

The heart that beats in unison with his

great heart of infinite love will give

sympathy to every needy soul, and will

make it manifest that he has the mind

of Christ. 'A bruised reed shall he not

break, and the smoking flax shall he

not quench. Every suffering soul has a

claim upon the sympathy of others, and

those who are imbued with the love of

Christ, filled with his pity, tenderness,

and compassion, will respond to every

appeal to their sympathy. They will not

say, when an appeal is made to them

in behalf of those who

are

perishing

out of Christ, 'This does not concern

me.' They will not act the part of the

elder brother, but will manifest per-

sonal interest and sympathy. They will

follow the example of their Master, and

will go out to seek and to save that

which was lost, obeying the Saviour's

words when he said, 'Love one another

as I have loved you.' Every soul who

attempts to retrace his wanderings and

return to God, needs the help of those

who have a tender, pitying heart of

Christ-like love.

"We are not to meet misery and re-

pentance with censure, reproach, with

suspicion, distrust, and jealousy, as

the elder brother is represented as

meeting the repenting prodigal; but we

are to welcome the wanderer as he

returns to his Father's house with the

same compassion and sympathy as

Jesus manifested toward us when we

sought his pardoning love. He met lost

humanity with infinite love. He encir-

cled the perishing, wandering soul in

the arms of his mercy, and connected

sinful man with his own divine nature,

and adopted the child of humanity into

his own royal family. He presents this

example to you, and says, Go thou

and do likewise. When human agents

become doers of the words and works

of Christ, joy is created throughout the

unfallen universe, and songs of rejoic-

ing resound through all the heavenly

worlds.

"The Lord has committed his goods to

the charge of his human agents, and he

expects that they will trade upon them.

He has given to the trust of his people

the fatherless and the widow, and yet

souls have been left to perish for the

want of personal sympathy and labor.

3ut your neglect of one soul is regis-

tered in heaven as neglect of Christ.

Jesus has paid ransom for every

soul, and he has identified his interest

with that of the weakest and most err-

ing. What befalls the children of men,

touches Christ, the Redeemer of man-

kind. He reproved his own nation for

the way in which they treated their

fellow-men, and gave them to under-

stand that an abuse inflicted upon the

weakest and most sinful, was counted

as a personal abuse to himself, the

Lord of heaven. The favors shown to

the poor and wretched and sinful, were

also counted as personal favors to him-

self, to be remembered and rewarded

hereafter. Christ has not left us in dark-

ness as to what are our privilege and

duty to our fellow-men, but through

various parables and illustrations has

presented our obligation to others. He

has unfolded before us the scenes of

the last great day, when all men are to

be arraigned before his tribunal; and

the treatment given to the least of his

brethren is, according to its nature,

commended or condemned by the sen-

tence: 'Inasmuch as ye have done it

unto one of the least of these my

brethren, ye have done it unto me.' Or,

'Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the

least of them, ye did it not to me.'

"Christ is our substitute and surety;

he stands before God in the place of

humanity, and he is affected as his

weakest follower is affected. The sym-

pathy of Christ is such that he cannot

be an indifferent spectator of his chil-

dren's sufferings. The heart of him who

gave his life for humanity is touched by

the wound, however slight, that is given

to one of his followers by the spirit

revealed in the word or action of an-

other. Let us bear in mind that Christ

is the great central heart from which

the life-blood flows to every part of

the great body of humanity. He is the

head from which extend the nerves that

reach even to the most minute and

most remote parts of the body. When

one member of the .body with which

Christ is so mystically connected, suf-

fers, the throb of pain is felt by our

Saviour.

"Will the church arouse? Will her

members come into sympathy with

Christ, so that they will have his tender-

ness for all the sheep and lambs of the

fold? For their sake the Majesty of

heaven made himself of no reputation;

for them he came to a world all seared

and marred with the curse. He toiled

day and night to instruct, to elevate, to

bring to everlasting joy a thankless and

disobedient people. For their sake he

became poor, that they through his

povery might become rich. For them he

denied himself; for them he endured

privation, scorn, contempt, suffering,

and death; for them he took the form

of a servant. Christ is our pattern, shall

we copy him? Shall we not have a

care for God's heritage? Shall we not

cherish tender compassion for the err-

ing, the tempted, and the tried? . . .

"How much of this work has been

left undone. But will not the members

of our churches take hold in earnest of

these matters? God will work with

those who will give him a chance. Look

after the orphans and the widows and

the poor, and see that no wandering

one is left in the desert to perish for

the want of personal labor and sym-

pathy. Let the peace of God abide in

your hearts by faith; and be ye thank-

ful."—Ellen G. White, "Review and Her-

ald," Oct.

16, 1894.

LESSON 11

December

DELAY OF THE ADVENT

"Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons

ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto

the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dis-

solved, and the elements shall melt with fervant heat?" 2 Peter 3:11, 12.

In this text Peter has connected the has-

tening of the advent with holy and godly

living. When we speak of delay in the

coming of Christ we are really saying that

we have not been, by the grace of God, the

kind of people we should be. There has

been delay. "It was not the will of God

that the coming of Christ should be thus

delayed."—Evangelism,

page 696. The sub-

ject of this delay should be investigated,

not to heap condemnation on the church,

but to learn from past experience how to

avoid continued delay. Our emphasis should

not be on the delay, but on hastening the

advent. Only as knowledge of the circum-

stances of the delay helps us to hasten the

advent is the delay important to us.

While the content of this lesson is on

the delay, it is meant to lead to an em-

phasis on hurrying up the coming of our

Lord, as much as it is in our province to

hurry it; delay is examined for the lessons

that can be derived from it.

LESSON OUTLINE

Parables and Delay

Matt. 24:48-50

Destruction Delayed

Rev. 7:1

Delay in Sealing

Rev. 7:1-3

Delays in Love

2 Peter 3:9

The Need for Patience

Heb. 10:35-37

Need for Watchfulness

Luke 12:35-37, 40

Delay of the Advent

LESSON 11



❑

Sunday

December 10

Part 1

PARABLES AND

DELAY

Matt. 24:48-50

"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My

lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his

fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;

the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he

looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware

of."

A prominent feature of the parable of the two servants is the

delay of the householder. There is nothing said of delay in

connection with the faithful servant. He was faithfully doing

his duty and constantly watching for the return of the master.

He waited as long as the wicked servant. He was a servant, and

the date of the master's return was not his business. The wicked

servant reasoned that 'the master's staying away beyond the

time of his expected return proved that he would stay away

longer still. Delay in the past led him to assume that there

would be delay in 'the future; and that was his undoing. Past

delay speaks only of the past, not of the future.

Its- What caused the crisis in the experience of the ten

virgins? Matt. 25:5-8.

"Lingering near the bride's house are ten young women robed

in white. Each carries a lighted lamp and a small flagon for

oil. All are anxiously watching for the appearance of the bride-

groom. But there is a delay. Hour after hour passes; the

watchers become weary and fall asleep. At midnight the cry is

heard, 'Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.'

The sleepers, suddenly awaking, spring to their feet. They see

the procession moving on, bright with 'torches and glad with

music. They hear the voice of the bridegroom and the voice

of the bride. The ten maidens seize 'their lamps and begin to

trim them, in haste to go forth. But five have negleced to fill

their flasks with oil. They did not anticipate so long a delay,

and they have not prepared for the emergency. In distress they

appeal to their wiser companions saying, 'Give us of your

oil; for our lamps are going out.'

(Margin.)"—Christ's Object

Lessons,

pages 405, 406.



THINK IT THROUGH



What is the



ideal reaction to delay of the advent?



"The unfaithful steward had solemn



say that Christ will not come; he does



responsibilities entrusted to him; before



not scoff at the idea of His second com-



the world he appeared as a servant of



ing; but he tells the people that His



Christ; but, oh, how deplorable for him-



coming is delayed. He is removing from



self, and for all connected with him; he



the minds of others the conviction that



is an evil servant! He is imperiling his



the Lord is coming quickly. His influence



Lord's goods. He is teaching souls to



leads men to presumptuous, careless de-



trample upon the holy law of God. He



lay."—"Testimonies to Ministers," pages



calls Christ, 'My Lord.' But he says, 'My



237, 238.

Lord delayeth His coming.' He does not

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 457-459.

❑

Monday

December 11

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on

the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of

the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth,

nor on the sea, nor on any tree."

"Four angels. These angels represent divine agencies in the

world holding back the forces of evil....

"Four corners. Compare Isa. 11:12; Eze. 7:2. This signifies

that the whole earth is threatened.

"Four winds. Frequently in Scripture the 'four winds' rep-

resent the four directions of the compass (see Dan. 8:8; Mark

13:27). Here the four winds are plainly destructive forces

(see v. 3). Probably the closest parallel is to be found in Dan.

7:2, where they appear to be the forces of strife out of which

great nations arise."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

on Rev. 7:1.

The prophetic setting of Rev. 7:1-3 is the period before the

close of probation. The winds of destruction are ready to blow,

but heavenly agencies hold them back. The signs of the advent

are, in general, the worsening conditions of our world previous

to the end. From one point of view the holding of the winds

is a delay in the increasing intensity of the signs.

The delay pictured here is not because the forces of destruc-

tion have lost their potency, but because divine intervention

holds them in check. The world is becoming neither a better

nor a safer place, even though there may sometimes be hints

of improvement. The source of such respite is the ministry of

a loving heavenly Father, who is loath to leave the world

entirely to its own devices.

I. What is the danger in postponing _personal spiritual

preparation because of continued delay in

ihe destruction

of the

—

viorld? 1 Thess. 5:3.

THINK IT THROUGH



How do you react to delays in ordinary affairs? Do

you see any spiritual lessons in those reactions?

Delay of the Advent

LESSON 11

Part 2

DESTRUCTION

DELAYED

Rev. 7:1

"Time is very short, and all that is to

be done must be done quickly. The an-

gels are holding the four winds, and

Satan is taking advantage of everyone

who is not fully established in the truth.

Every soul is to be tested. Every defect

in the character, unless it is overcome

by the help of God's Spirit, will become

a sure means of destruction. I feel as

never before the necessity for our peo-

ple to be energized by the spirit of the

truth, for Satan's devices will ensnare

every soul who has not made God his

strength. The Lord has much work to

be done; and if we do what He has ap-

pointed for us to do, He will work with

our efforts."—"Testimonies," Vol. 5, p.

573.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol. 4, pp. 307-309.

Delay of the Advent

LESSON



❑

Tuesday

December

Part 3

►

What reason is given for holding back the symbolic

DELAY IN winds presented in Revelation 7?

SEALING

Rev. 7:1-3

"And after these things I saw four angels standing

on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds

of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth,

nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel

ascending from the east, having the seal of the living

God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels,

to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, say-

ing, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till

we have sealed the servants of our God in their fore-

heads."

The relation in this prophecy between the holding of the

winds and the sealing work implies that evil potentially comes

to fruition before righteousness. God's people are not ready

to be sealed when the winds of destruction are ready to blow.

"The soul is to take the impression of the Spirit of God and

retain the image of Christ."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA

Bible Commentary,

Vol. 7, p. 970. The seal is "the sign of the

cross of Calvary in the Lord's adopted sons and daughters."—

Ibid.,

p. 968.

The central focus of delay is on the sealing work, and the

sealing has to do with the spiritual condition of the people of

God. It is not that we are today waiting for more last-day

events so that the advent can take place. The wait is for the

"servants of our God" to surrender themselves fully to the

Spirit, to accept fully the self-sacrificing way of life shown by

Jesus on Calvary and made possible for them by faith in Him

so that the sealing can be accomplished. It is for a spiritual

reason that the advent is delayed, and not for a political, social,

or naturalistic reason. It is when the sealing is finished that the

winds of strife are released and the last events take place.

THINK IT THROUGH



How is the seal of God related to the Sabbath?



'Christ is waiting with longing de-



Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who pro-



sire for the manifestation of Himself in



fess His name bearing fruit to His glory,



His church. When the character of Christ



how quickly the whole world would be

shall be perfectly reproduced in His sown with the seed of the gospel.



people, then He will come to claim them



Quickly the last great harvest would be

as His own.



ripened, and Christ would come to



"It is the privilege of every Christian



gather the precious grain."—"Christ's



not only to look for but to hasten the



Object Lessons," page 69.

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Christ's Object Lessons," pages 66-69.

Delay of the Advent

LESSON 11



❑

Wednesday

December 13



Part 4



What promise is Peter referring to in the following

DELAYS IN LOVE verse?

2 Peter 3:9

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some

men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not

willing that any should perish, but that all should come

to repentance."

"God is long-suffering, not willing that any should perish;

but His forbearance has a limit, and when the boundary is

past, there is no second probation. His wrath will go forth and

He will destroy without remedy.

"When men, being in power, oppress and spoil their fellow

men, and no earthly tribunal can be found to do justice, God

will interpose in behalf of those who cannot defend them-

selves. . . . When men put their trust in earthly powers instead

of their Maker, when they become lifted up in pride and self-

confidence, God will in His own time make them to be de-

spised."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 7, p. 946.

"Any apparent delay in the Lord's coming is due to God's

unwillingness to close the door of salvation while there is hope

of any sinner's repentance."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

2 Peter

3:9.

P- After pointing out God's forbearance, to what sure

event does Peter direct his readers? 2 Peter 3:10.

"The day of the Lord. The same as 'the day of God' (v.

12)....

"Will come. In the Greek the verb is placed in an emphatic

position. The fact that the day of the Lord will come is beyond

doubt."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

on 2 Peter 3:10.

Peter assures us that while God is long-suffering for the

sinners' sake, yet the advent is certain. The apostle's thought

of God's delay in the past combined with the certainty of His

future coming is an expression of His character. In mercy He

has delayed; but because He is just, Christ will surely come.



THINK IT THROUGH



The delay in the advent results in sin continuing

longer, thus more sorrow and unhappiness than might

have been if Christ had come sooner. How do you recon-

cile this with His love? Does God suffer more too?

"The reason why the Bridegroom de-

lays is because He is longsuffering to

us-ward, not willing that any should

perish, but that all should come to

repentance.

the precious longsuffer-

ing of our merciful Saviour!

that each

of the dear youth would appreciate the

value of the soul that has been pur-

chased at infinite cost on Calvary!"—

Ellen G. White, "Sons and Daughters

of God," page 118.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Christ's Object Lessons," pages 177-180.

Delay of the Advent

LESSON 11



❑

Thursday

December 14

Part 5

►

What circumstances stated in Hebrews 10 required the

THE NEED FOR patience referred to in the following passage?

PATIENCE

Heb. 10:35-37

"Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath

great recompense of reward. For ye have need of pa-

tience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might

receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that

shall come will come, and will not tarry."

"Those who are finally victorious will have seasons of ter-

rible perplexity and trial in their religious life; but they must

not cast away their confidence, for this is a part of their disci-

pline in the school of Christ, and it is essential in order that

all dross may be purged away. The servant of God must endure

with fortitude the attacks of the enemy, his grievous taunts,

and must overcome the obstacles which Satan will place in his

way."—Messages to Young People,

page 63.

We sympathize with those who win every race except the

last one. The disappointment is extremely severe because of

previous successes. How much more tragic it is when a Christian

emerges victorious from all manner of trials, only to go down

at last in defeat and despair. Paul does not wish to see this

fate overtake his converts. He here warns them to hold fast

their confidence to the end. It is the last battle which counts.

If it is lost, all is lost.

►

What message to Habakkuk about the time of Judah's

captivity is appropriate also in regard to the second

advent? Hab. 2:3.

THINK IT THROUGH



What is the root of the attitude of patience or im-

patience?

"It will not be long till we shall see

Him in whom our hopes of eternal life

are centered. And in His presence, all

the trials and sufferings of this life will

be as nothingness. 'Cast not away

therefore your confidence. . . . ' Look

up, look up, and let your faith contin-

ually increase. Let this faith guide you

along the narrow path that leads

through the gates of the city of God

into the great beyond, the wide, un-

bounded future of glory that is for the

redeemed."—"Testimonies," Vol. 9, pp.

287, 288.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 406-408.

Delay of the Advent

LESSON 11



❑

Friday

December 15

Part 6



"Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burn-

NEED FOR ing; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their

WATCHFULNESS lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when

Luke 12:35-37, 40 he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him im-

mediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord

when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto

you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit

down to meat, and will come forth and serve them." "Be

ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at

an hour when ye think not."

The message of the signs is that the end has been near for

more than one hundred years. We are living in an emergency

period of delay while Christ waits in mercy for His people to

prepare, by His grace, for His return. How soon these condi-

tions will be met only God Himself knows. Our only safety is

in watching and being ready to meet our Lord at any time.

"Our Lord had been warning His disciples against allowing

their minds to be absorbed in the selfish acquisition of wealth,

and against being anxious about needed food and clothing;

they were to be supremely concerned about His Kingdom

which would appear in glory at the time of His return. . . .

If His coming was occupying their thoughts they would be

kept at once from worldliness and from worry, and would

be diligent in serving Him."—Erdman,

The Gospel of Luke,

page 127.

►

How will each type of servant be treated when the

Master returns? Matt. 24:47, 50.

"There can be no question about the 'eschatological motiva-

tion': Christians must be faithful to their duty because they

`know neither the day nor the hour' .



. when Christ will

come. . . . This theme of the absentee landlord or master is

recurrent in the gospel accounts of Jesus' teaching .



. and

always is subject •to this same eschatological interpretation. We

must be faithful because the Day of Judgment is imminent."

—The Interpreter's Bible,

Vol. 8, p. 232.

THINK IT THROUGH



The faithful servant gave meat "in due season" while

waiting for his employer. What does this mean?

"The very best credentials we can



of the soul is not trimmed and burn-

carry is love for one another. All strife,



ing."—Ellen

G. White Comments," "SDA

all dissension, is to cease. God will not



Bible Commentary," Vol. 5, pp. 1099,

accept the talents of the smartest, the



1100.

most eloquent man if the inner lamp

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 490, 491.

LESSON 12

December 17-23

THE CHURCH AWAITING THE ADVENT

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faith-

ful that promised;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to

good works." Heb. 10:23, 24.

In some previous lessons, study has been

given to outstanding signs of Christ's im-

minent return. Abundant evidence has been

provided to show that the great Bible

prophecies concerning the last days of this

world's history are now meeting their ful-

fillment. But recognition of the promised

signs is of little value unless such knowl-

edge leads to appropriate action. Only as

these divine warnings are heeded can they

prove a blessing to the church. It is possible

for Christians to become so familiar with

the omens of the advent that their urgent

challenge will be muted. Even ministers,

regarding these omens as too well worn for

sermon material, may cease to preach about

them. Beyond question, the most vital need

of the remnant church today is to be

moved by the message it was called into ex-

istence to proclaim. By a fresh infiling of

the Holy Spirit it must sense anew the

mighty meaning of the signs of the times

and be led thereby to full repentance of sin

and total dedication to God.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. The Peril of the Church

Luke 21:34, 35

2. Condition of the Church

Matt. 25:5

3. Call for an Awakening

Isa. 51:9; 52:1

4. Call to Work

Eph. 2:8-10

5. God's Call to Holiness

1 John 3:2, 3

6. Growing in Grace

2 Peter 3:18

The Church Awaiting the Advent

LESSON 12

Part 1

THE PERIL

OF THE CHURCH

Luke 21:34, 35

❑

Sunday

December 17

law What threatens to engross the attention of believers

awaiting the advent?

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your

hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,

and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you

unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that

dwell on the face of the whole earth."

"I was shown our danger, as a people, of becoming assimi-

lated to the world rather than to the image of Christ. We are

now upon the very borders of the eternal—wrtfl



it is the

purpose of the adversary of souls to lead us to . . . lead as

many as possible 'to put off the evil day and become in spirit

like the world, imitating its

customs."—Testimonies,

Vol. 4,

p. 306.

Co- What prevented the people of Noah's time from know-

ing what could be known of the approach of the Flood?

Matt. 24:38, 39.

"In view of such glorious prophecies the heart of the Chris-

tian is ever to be set upon the gracious realities relating to the

coming of the Master. The followers of Christ must be on their

guard lest they be overcome by the influences which Jesus de-

scribed as characterizing the days immediately preceding His

return. There will be temptation to self-indulgence and indiffer-

ence and absorption in worldly cares. Believers are warned to

be on their watch lest the coming of Christ overtake them

unexpectedly, as indeed it will come upon others."—Erdman,

The Gospel of Luke,

page 196.

THINK IT THROUGH



What special temptations come to today's Christian

that would ensnare him with "the cares of this life"?

"The crisis is stealing gradually ing, and every case is about to be

upon us. The sun shines in the heavens,



eternally decided. Satan sees that his

passing over its usual round, and the



time is short. He has set all his agencies

heavens still declare the glory of God.



at work that men may be deceived,

Men are still eating and drinking, plant-



deluded, occupied and entranced, until

ing and building, marrying, and giving



the day of probation shall be ended,

in marriage. Merchants are still buying



and the door of mercy be forever shut.

and selling. Men are jostling one



"Solemnly there come to us down

against another, contending for the through the centuries the warning

highest place. Pleasure lovers are still



words of our Lord from the Mount of

crowding to theaters, horse races, gam-

Olives: 'Take heed to yourselves.'"—

bling hells. The highest excitement pre-



"The Desire of Ages," page 636.

vails, yet probation's hour is fast clos-

FOR

FURTHER

STUDY: "Patriarchs and Prophets," pages 101, 102.

the Church Awaiting the Advent

LESSON 12



❑

Monday

December 18



Part 2



"While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and

CONDITION OF slept."

THE CHURCH



Matt. 25:5



"Tarried. Gr. . . .

'to delay,' to linger.' The parable was

a warning to those who 'thought that the kingdom of God

should immediately appear' (Luke 19:11 . . .). Jesus would

not return as they had anticipated. But to have told the dis-

ciples of this in a clear and specific way would have discour-

aged them....

"Christians today would do well to remember that the

heavenly Bridegroom's delay is not due to any lack of prepared-

ness on His part. He could have come long ago had His people

been ready to welcome Him, and had they been faithful in

completing their appointed task of preparing the world for His

coming... ,

"Slumbered and

slept. That is, they became drowsy and

went to sleep."—SD.4

Bible Commentary,

on Matt. 25:5.

Is Why is it more important to keep awake now than

ever before? Rom. 13:11, 12.

"The coming of the Lord is nearer than when we first be-

lieved. The great controversy is nearing its end. Every report

of calamity by sea or land is a testimony to the fact that the

end of all things is at hand. Wars and rumors of wars declare

it. Is there a Christian whose pulse does not beat with quick-

ened action as he anticipates the great events opening before

us?"—Evangelism,

page 219.



THINK IT THROUGH



What is the real meaning in the idea of being spir-

itually asleep or awake?

ing and the song of praise. Now the

day of God is nearer than when we

first believed, and we should be more

earnest, more zealous, and fervent than

in those early days. Our perils are

greater now than then. Souls are more

hardened. We need now to be im-

bued with the spirit of Christ, and we

should not rest until we receive it"—

"Testimonies," Vol.

pp. 161, 162.

"We must be much in prayer if we

would make progi

--7

eTi

—

in the divine

life_

. When the message Of

—

tiuth was

first proclaimed, how much we prayed.

How often was the voice of intercession

heard in the chamber, in the barn, in

the orchard, or the grove. Frequently

we spent hours in earnest prayer, two

or three together claiming the prom-

ise; often the sound of weeping was

heard and then the voice of thanksgiv-

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Testimonies," Vol. 6, pp. 20-22.

Part 3

CALL FOR AN

AWAKENING

Isa. 51:9; 52:1

THINK IT THROUGH

❑

Tuesda)

December lt

"Awake, awake, put on strength, 0 arm of the Lord

awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old

Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the

dragon?"

"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, 0 Zion; put on

thy

beautiful garments, 0 Jerusalem, the holy city: for

henceforth there shall no more come into thee the un-

circumcised and the unclean."

The call to awake is twice repeated. In the first instance, the

prophet appealed to God to awake and come to the aid of His

chosen ones. Had He not done wonderful things for them? The

Red Sea had been opened up, and food had been given from

heaven for forty years. All through their history the Israelites

had been preserved from a thousand dangers because of the

active intervention of 'the God of heaven. As dangers threat-

ened His people, an appeal was made for God to come to their

rescue once again and save them from the plots of their enemies

to overthrow them.

Then the Lord called for His people to awake. It was not

God who was slumbering, but the people who needed to arouse.

They had a work to do in preparation for God's action. Thus

also, in awaiting the advent, believers must prepare by receiv-

ing the "beautiful garments" of Christ's righteousness.

Its

How deep is the sleep of those in darkness? Eph.

5:14.

"He [Satan] cannot hold in spiritual death one soul who in

faith receives Christ's word of power. God is saying to all who

are dead in sin, 'Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the

dead.' Eph. 5:14. That word is eternal life. As the word of

God which bade 'the first man live, still gives us life; as Christ's

word, 'Young man, I say unto thee, Arise,' gave life to the

youth of Nain, so that word, 'Arise from the dead,' is life to

the soul that receives it. It is all offered us in His word. If we

receive the word, we have the deliverance."—The

Desire of

Ages,

page 320.

What is the means by which a person is awakened to

watch for the advent?

The Church Awaiting the Advent

LESSON 12

"Clad in the armor of Christ's righ-

teousness, the church is to enter upon

her final conflict. 'Fair as the moon,

clear as the sun, and terrible as an

army with banners' (Song of Solomon

6:10), she is to go forth into all the

world, conquering and to conquer.

"The darkest hour of the church's

struggle with the powers of evil is that

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Testimonies," Vol.

which immediately precedes the day

of her final deliverence. But none who

trust in God need fear; for 'when the

blast of the terrible ones is as a storm

against the wall,' God will be to His

church 'a refuge from the storm.' Isaiah

25:4."—"Prophets and Kings," page

725.

9, pp. 11-17.

The Church Awaiting the Advent

LESSON 12

Part 4

CALL TO WORK

Eph. 2:8-10

THINK IT THROUGH

0 Wednesday

December

What purpose does Paul say is served by salvation

through faith?

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that

not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest

any man should boast. For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath

before ordained that we should walk in them."

"The salvation of the lost was the object of Christ's mission

to earth, and he died to redeem sinners of every race and every

clime. We are to be laborers together with him; for as long as

there are sinners to be saved, so long are the followers of Christ

to deny self, to work intelligently, to go forth into the high-

ways and by-ways, showing forth the praises of Him who bath

called them out of darkness into his marvelous light. Christ

calls upon all who have discerned the merits of his sacrifice and

character, to make known the wonders of redeeming love to

those who know him not. He would have us bear with others

as he has borne with us in our perversity, in our backslidings;

for he hath not cast us off in our waywardness, but has forgiven

our transgression, and clothed us with the robe of his righteous-

ness, drawing us to himself by the cords of his -love."—Ellen

G. White,

Review and Herald,

May 24, 1892.

Ito- Read Matt. 28:19 and Rev. 14:6. What is the differ-

ence in the setting of these two texts? How do they

resemble each other in meaning?

"The people in the world need to know that the signs of the

times are fulfilling. Take to them the books that will enlighten

them....

"Those who have been long in the truth are asleep. They

need to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The third angel's mes-

sage is to be proclaimed with a loud voice. . . . We have no

time to

lose."—Colporteta Ministry,

page 120.

What is the special significance of witnessing for

Christ in the time of the signs?

"The truth is of no value to any soul

unless it is brought into the inner sanc-

tuary, and sanctifies the soul. Piety will

degenerate, and religion become a

shallow sentimentalism, unless the

plowshare of truth is made to go deep

into the fallow ground of the heart.

When the truth is received, it will work

radical changes in life and character;

for religion means the abiding.

of Christ

in_the _heart, and whe

he is, the soul

goes on in spiritual activity, ever grow-

ing in grace, every going on to perfec-

tion. All through our churches there are

e—who are spiritually paralyzed.

They do not manifest spiritual life."—

Ellen G. White, "Review and Herald,"

May 24, 1892.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Selected Messages,' ' Bk. 2, pp. 154-157.

The Church Awaiting the Advent

LESSON 12

Part 5

GOD'S CALL

TO HOLINESS

1 John 3:2, 3

❑

Thursday

December 21

ID- What is to be accomplished in one who hopes for the

advent?

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it cloth

not

yet

appear what we shall be: but we know that, when

shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see

him as he is. And every

man that hath

this hope in him

purifieth himself, even as he is pure."

"We are not to settle down, expecting that a change of char-

acter will come to us by some miraculous work, when Jesus

shall appear in the clouds of heaven with power and great

glory. No, my young friends, we are judgment-bound, and

probation is granted to us here in this life, in order that we

may form characters for the future, immortal life."—Ellen G.

White,

Sons and Daughters of God,

page 9.

Ow How much can human effort accomplish without divine

aid? John 15:5.

The Christian must not take either of two dangerous theories.

One says, "Jesus paid it all. There is nothing for me to do. He

has fought the battle and won the victory; so all I need to do

is say I believe in Him. Jesus wants me in the kingdom. If He

wants me there, I will be there regardless of what I do." The

other says, "It all depends on me. I must fight the good fight

of faith. I must keep the commandments. Jesus wants me in

the kingdom, but He expects me to work for it."

Both of these are extreme positions and must be rejected. It

is only when divine power is united with human effort that the

victory can be gained. "I can do all things through Christ which

strengtheneth me," wrote the apostle Paul.

THINK IT THROUGH



How is actual cooperation between man and Christ

possible?

"Let no man present the idea that

man has little or nothing to do in the

great work of overcoming; for God

does nothing for man without his co-

operation. Neither say that after you

have done all you can on your part,

Jesus will help you. Christ has said,

'Without me ye can do nothing' (John

15:5).

From first to last man is to be a

laborer together with God. Unless the

Holy Spirit works upon the human

heart, at every step we shall stumble

and fall. Man's efforts alone are noth-

ing but worthlessness; but cooperation

with Christ means a victory. Of our-

selves we have no power to repent of

sin. Unless we accept divine aid we

cann

161Ze the first step toward the

Saviour. He says, 'I am Alpha and

Omega, the beginning and the end'

(Rev. 21:6) in the salvation of every

soul."—"Selected Messages,"

Bk.

1, p.

381.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Steps to Christ," chapter, "The Test of Discipleship."

The Church Awaiting the Advent

LESSON 12



❑

Friday

December 22



Part 6



What is the relationship between growing in grace

GROWING IN and growing in the knowledge of the Lord?

GRACE

2 Peter 3:18

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord

and Saviour Jesus Christ."

"There is no Bible sanctification for those who cast a part of

the truth behind them....

"Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, or a

day. It is a continual growth in grace. We know not one day

how strong will be our conflict the next. Satan lives, and is

active, and every day we need to earnestly cry to God for help

and strength to resist him.. ..

"How is it possible that we may grow in grace? It is possible

to us only as we empty our hearts of self, and present them

to Heaven, to be molded after the divine Pattern. We may have

a connection with the living channel of light; we may be re-

freshed with the heavenly dew, and have the showers of Heaven

descend upon us. As we appropriate the blessing of God, we

shall be able to receive greater measures of His grace. As we

learn to endure as seeing Him who is invisible, we shall become

changed into the image of Christ. The grace of Christ will not

make us proud, cause us to be lifted up in self, but we shall

become meek and lowly in heart."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA Bible Commentary,

Vol. 7, p. 947.

Co-

What will be seen in the life of one who receives the

Spirit? Gal. 5:22, 23.



THINK IT THROUGH



What actual life experience is referred to by the phrase

"growing in grace"?

"Growth

is characteristic of the true

child of God as it is of all living things,

inasmuch as he has found a new life

Christ Jesus. . . . His goal is a char-

acter that resembles the perfect char-

acter of his lord, and a mind that is

able to think His thoughts after Him.

He aspires to 'grow up into him in all

things, which is the head, even Christ.'

. . . In this life, and thereafter in the

life to come, the Christian can look for-

ward to endless growth in character

and in understanding the will and ways

of God. There will ever be new worlds

of mind and spirit for him to conquer,

new heights to climb, new doors of

adventure and opportunity to open."

—"SDA Bible Commentary," on 2 Peter

3:18.

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

"Prophets and Kings," pages 722-725.

LESSON 13

December 24-30

BEYOND THE ADVENT

"Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new

earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13.

"Fellow pilgrim, we are still amid the

shadows and turmoil of earthly activities;

but soon our Saviour is to appear to bring

deliverance and rest. Let us by faith behold

the blessed hereafter as pictured by the

hand of God. He who died for the sins of

the world is opening wide the gates of

Paradise •to all who believe on Him. Soon

the battle will have been fought, the vic-

tory won. Soon we shall see Him in whom

our hopes of eternal life are centered. . . .

"Look up, look up, and let your faith

continually increase. Let this faith guide

you along the narrow path that leads

through the gates of the city into the great

beyond, the wide, unbounded future of

glory that is for the redeemed. . . .

"The nations of the saved will know no

other law than the law of heaven. All will

be a happy, united family, clothed with

the garments of praise and thanksgiving.

Over the scene the morning stars will sing

together, and the sons of God will shout

100

for joy, while God and Christ will unite

in proclaiming, 'There shall be no more sin,

neither shall there be any more death.'"

—Prophets and Kings,

pages 731-733.

LESSON OUTLINE

God's Original Purpose

Isa. 45:18; 43:7

A New World Promised

Dan. 7:18; Matt. 5:5

Beyond Human Imagination

1Cor. 2:9; 2 Cor. 4:17, 18

A New Creation

Isa. 65:17; Rev. 21:1

Situation of the Redeemed

Isa. 65:21-23

Fulfillment of the Covenant

Rev. 21:3

Beyond the Advent

LESSON 13



❑

Sunday

December 24

Part 1

►

Why did God create earth and its inhabitants?

GOD'S ORIGINAL

PURPOSE

Isa. 45:18; 43:7



"For thus saith the Lore that created the heavens; God

himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath estab-

lished it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be

inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else."

"Even every one that is called by my name: for I have

created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have

made him."

"God created man for His own glory, that after test and

trial the human family might become one with the heavenly

family. It was God's purpose to re-populate heaven with the

human family, if they would show themselves obedient to His

every word. Adam was to be tested, to see whether he would

be obedient. . . . If he stood the test, his instruction to his

children would have been only of loyalty. His mind and

thoughts would have been as the mind and thoughts of God.

He would have been taught by God as His husbandry and

building. His character would have been moulded in accordance

with the character of God."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA

Bible Commentary, Vol.

1, p. 1082.

"The earth originally given to man as his kingdom, betrayed

by him into the hands of Satan, and so long held by the mighty

foe, has been brought back by the great plan of redemption.

All that was lost by sin has been restored.. ... God's original

purpose in the creation of the earth is fulfilled as it is made

the eternal abode of the redeemed. 'The righteous shall inherit

the land, and dwell therein forever.'

"—The Great Controversy,

page 674.

►

What kind of person was man to be? Gen. 1:26.

God is love, and love is the basis of creation.

Education,

page 16. Love without persons to love is meaningless. So God

created man in His image that there might be a mutual ex-

perience of love. A careful analysis of Genesis 1 as to God's

acts can lead to a fuller understanding of the expression "the

image of God."

THINK IT THROUGH



What does it mean to live to the glory of God?

"To be inhabited....

The earth was

not created 'in vain.' . . . It was de-

signed to be the home of man. Regard-

less of what may be the purpose of the

enemy and what ruin he may accom-

plish by sin, God's original plan will at

length be carried out. Creation was a

purposeful act, not merely an end in it-

self. Sin has postponed the realization

of that purpose, but though postponed

for a time it will ultimately be

achieved. God's infinite purposes know

no haste and no delay."—"SDA Bible

Commentary," on Isa. 45:18.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Adventist Home," page 540; "The Great Controversy,"

pages 436, 437, 674.

101

Beyond the Advent

LESSON 13



❑

Monday

December 25

Part

2 la-

What two designations are used to indicate those who

A NEW WORLD will possess God's kingdom?

PROMISED

Dan. 7:18; Matt. 5:5

"But the saints of the most High shall take the king-

dom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever

and ever."

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."

"The great plan of redemption results in fully bringing back

the world into God's favor.-All that was lost by sin is restored.

Not only man but the earth is redeenTed, to be the eternal

abode of the obedient. For six thousand years Satan has strug-

gled to maintain possession of the earth. Now God's original

purpose in its creation is accomplished. 'The saints of the Most

High shall take the

kingdom.'"—Patriarchs and Prophets,

page 342.

Today the meek do not have much of the earth. They are

thrust aside by the strong, the vicious, the ruthless elements

abroad in our world. But that arrangement will come to an

end. It has been sneeringly said, "It is a good thing that the

meek are going to inherit it. They would never get it in any

other way." Yes, thank God, it is to be by inheritance. Christ

the mighty Conqueror is going to take it from the hands of the

strong and give it to the meek.

.- What assurance is given the children of God? Luke

12:32.

Children sometimes get the idea that God is standing at the

heavenly gate watching to see that only the perfect enter, look-

ing for every possible excuse for rejecting them. What a travesty

on the character of God! Jesus assured His followers that it

was the Father's good pleasure to give them the kingdom. There

was no possibility of their earning it, but it would be a free

gift. Very literally they would someday inherit the new earth.

THINK IT THROUGH



What does it mean to be meek?

"The meek 'shall inherit the earth.' It

was through the desire for self-exalta-

tion that sin entered into the world, and

our first parents lost the dominion over

this fair earth, their kingdom. It is

through self-abnegation that Christ re-

deems what was lost. And He says we

are to overcome as He did. Revelation

3:21. Through humility and self-sur-

render we may become heirs with Him

when 'the meek shall inherit the earth.'

Psalm 37:11."—"Thoughts From the

Mount of Blessing," page 17.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing," pages 13-18.

102

Part 3

BEYOND HUMAN

IMAGINATION

1 Cor. 2:9;

2 Cor. 4:17, 18

THINK IT THROUGH

111 Tuesday

December 26

IP.

Why do we have difficulty in understanding God's

future heavenly plans for us?

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,

neither have entered into the heart of man, the things

which God hath prepared for them that love him."

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight

of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen,

but at the things which are not seen: for the things which

are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen

are eternal."

"Paul had a view of heaven, and in discoursing on the glories

there, the very best thing he could do was to not try to describe

them. He tells us that eye had not seen nor ear heard, neither

hath it entered into the heart of man the things which God

hath prepared for those that love Him. So you may put your ,

imagination to the stretch, you may try to the very best of

your abilities to take in and consider the eternal weight of glory,

and yet your finite senses, faint and weary with the effort, can-

not grasp it, for ,there is an infinity beyond. It takes all of

eternity to unfold the glories and bring out the precious trea-

sures of the Word of God."—Ellen G. White Comments,

SDA

Bible Commentary,

Vol. 6, p. 1107.

"God intends that, even in this life, truth shall be ever

unfolding to His people. There is only one way in which this

knowledge can be obtained. We can attain to an understanding

of God's word only through the illumination of that Spirit by

which the word was given. 'The things of God knoweth no

man, but the Spirit of God;' for the Spirit searcheth all things,

yea, the deep things of God.' And the Saviour's promise to His

followers was: 'When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will

guide you into all truth. . . . For He shall receive of Mine, and

shall show it unto you.'

"—Testimonies,

Vol. 5, p. 703.

Isn't it selfish to seek rewards? How do you reconcile

the idea of rewards for the faithful with the unselfish

nature of the Christian life?

Beyond the Advent

LESSON 13

apply it to divine things. We lose much

by not talking more of Jesus and of

heaven, the saints' inheritance. The

more we contemplate heavenly things,

the more new deliihTi we

—

all see,

and the more will our hearts be brimful

of thanks to our beneficent Creator."

—Ellen G. White Comments, "SDA Bible

Commentary," Vol. 6, p. 1085.

"Oh, how much we lose by not edu-

cating the imagination to dwell upon

divine things, rather than upon the

earthly! We may give fullest scope to

the imagination, and yet, 'eye hath not

seen, nor ear heard, neither have en-

tered into the heart of man, the things

which God hath prepared for them that

love him.' Fresh wonders will be re-

vealed to the mind the more closely we

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 674, 675.

103



Beyond the Advent



LESSON 13



❑

Wednesday

December 27



Part 4



What will be the extent of God's new creation?

A NEW CREATION

Isa. 65:17;



Rev. 21:1



"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth:

and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into

mind."

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the

first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and

there was no more sea."

"'I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven

and the first earth were passed away.' Revelation 21:1. The

fire that consumes the wicked purifies the earth. Every trace

of the curse is swept away. No eternally burning hell will keep

before the ransomed the fearful consequences of sin.

"One reminder alone remains: Our Redeemer will ever bear

the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon

His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel

work that sin has wrought."—The

Great Controversy,

page

674.

I> What are some of the features which will distinguish

the future new earth from the present evil one? Rev.

21:3,4.

"Even today we can rejoice in the thought of the joys and

glories of the world to come. The pictures of a new and better

world give strength and courage as we meet the trials of the

present. Disappointments and discouragements will be met

with better grace if our hearts are set on the abounding joys

of the new earth, which is soon to become our home."—SDA

Bible Commentary,

on Isa. 65:18.

THINK IT THROUGH



Why must there be a new world? Would not a new

civilization be adequate?

"Here they stand, and the finishing

touch of immortality is put upon them,

and they go up to meet their Lord in

the air. The gates of the city of God

swing back upon their hinges, and the

nations that have kept the truth enter

in. There are the columns of angels on

either side, and the ransomed of God

walk in through the cherubims and

seraphims. Christ bids them welcome

and puts upon them His benediction....

"Oh, what music! There is not an

inharmonious note. Every voice pro-

claims, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was

slain.' He sees of the travail of His soul,

and is satisfied. Do you think anyone

there will take time to tell of his trials

and terrible difficulties? 'The former

shall not be remembered, nor come into

mind.! "—Ellen G. White Comments,

"SDA Bible Commentary," Vol. 6, p.

1093.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "Early Writings," pages 16-20.

104

Beyond the Advent

LESSON 13



❑

Thursday

December

Part 5

►

What promises to Judah will be fulfilled in the new

SITUATION OF earth?

THE REDEEMED

Isa. 65:21-23

"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and

they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They

shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant,

and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days

of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work

of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring

forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of

the Lord, and their offspring with them."

"Through premature death, invasion, and deportation the

Israelites had lost their homes, their fields, and vineyards. Set-

tlement in the restored state was no more to be interrupted by

these. In the new heavens and new earth now soon to be

established, occupancy will not be interrupted even by death.

Life in the new earth will to a large degree be similar to the

life that man lived in Paradise before the entrance of sin."—

SDA Bible Commentary,

on Isa. 65:21.

"A fear of making the future inheritance seem too material

has led many to spiritualize away the very truths which lead

us to look upon it as our home. . . . Human language is inade-

quate to describe the reward of the righteous. It will be

known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can com-

prehend the glory of the Paradise of God."—The

Great Con-

troversy,

pages 674, 675.

"There the student of science may read the records of crea-

tion and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen

to the music of nature's voices and detect no note of wailing

or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one

handwriting—in the vast universe behold 'God's name writ

large,' and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining.

"There the Eden life will be lived, the life in garden and

field."—Education,

page 303.

►

What features were promised to Israel in the restored

earth? Isa. 65:25; 35:5, 6.



THINK IT THROUGH



What is the



basic difference between the activities of

the Christian in the present world and his activities in

the new earth?



"All the treasures of the universe will



the spectacle of human woe and rang



be open to the study of God's re-



with songs of gladness at the tidings of

deemed. Unfettered by mortality, they a ransomed soul."—"The Great Contro-



wing their tireless flight to worlds afar



versy," page 677.

—worlds that thrilled with sorrow at

FOR

FURTHER STUDY:

"Prophets and Kings," pages 729-733.

105

Beyond the Advent

LESSON 13



❑

Friday

December 29

Part 6 Co- In the New Jerusalem what is to be the relationship

FULFILLMENT of God and the redeemed?

OF THE COVENANT

Rev. 21:3

"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying,

Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will

dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God

himself shall be with them, and be their God."

.- How close is this new relationship between God and

man? Rev. 22:4.

10- In what context was the idea of this God-people rela-

tion presented in the Old Testament? Deut. 29:12, 13.

(See also Gen. 17:7 and Lev. 26:12.)

There will not be merely a theoretical or abstract relation

between God and His people, but God will be visible to them,

and they will have consented to the principles of His character.

"All who enter will have on the robe Christ's righteousness,

and the name of God will be seen in their foreheads. This name

is the symbol which the apostle saw in vision, and signifies the

yielding of the mind to intelligent and loyal obedience to all

of God's commandments."—Ellen G. White,

Sons and Daugh-

ters of God,

page 370.

The whole purpose of the covenant that God initiated

through Abraham was that he and his descendants should be

God's people, and God should be their God. This is the cove-

nant in its simplest terms. Thus when in Rev. 21:3 we find

this same idea we conclude that the New Jerusalem, peopled

by the saints, is the fulfillment of the covenant. This covenant

includes all the work of Jesus Christ, and Rev. 21:3 thus pro-

claims the final success of the plan of redemption. God and

His people are at last united and belong to each other in the

way He intended at creation.

THINK IT THROUGH



What determines if I am one of God's people?

"The people of God are privileged to

hold open communion with the Father

and the Son. 'Now we see through a

glass, darkly.' 1 Corinthians 13:12. We

behold the image of God reflected, as

in a mirror, in the works of nature and

in His dealings with men; but then we

shall see Him face to face, without a

dimming veil between. We shall stand

in His presence and behold the glory

of His countenance."—"The Great Con-

troversy," pages 676, 677.

FOR FURTHER STUDY: "The Great Controversy," pages 676-678.

106

Siciffid

d. S

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EURO-AFRICA DIVISION

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

•

INDIAN

OCEAN

MALAGASY SDA HOSPITAL

ANDAPA

Potions

AngoN

5496,000

21,059

36,808

Austrian

7571030

2,601

3375

Bulgarian Church

8,436000

1,803

2,940

Czechoslovakian

14,418,000

127

7.164

10,200

Equatorial African

12.359,000

13,539

22,449

Franco-Belgian

60,336,000

116

5441

5583

Hungarian

10295,000

153

5,803

6,138

Indian Ocean

5164,000

112

7,799

11,677

Mozambique

7,376,000

11,040

15,764

Romanian

20,010.000

512

40,864

52,857

South German

29.868,200

232

13,072

15,383

Southern EuroPaan

111,818,000

148

10,871

10,825

Swiss

6.251.000

3.909

3,348

Union of SDA in DDR

17,079500

336

12,105

13,745

Yiest German

19.419,696

191

11,500

13,619

Yugoslavian

20,351000

273

10,278

10,010

North African Mission

33,199,000

°Senegal Mission

17.600,000

138

° West Berlin Conference

2.122515

1481

1.637

TOTALS

421,970511

2538

182,500

236,812

Moues as of September 19711

°Detached Fields

MISSION STATION AND SCHOOL



Cuanharna tribe SOUTH ANGOL A'